OREANDA-NEWS. JSC TATNEFT was for the eleventh time running recognized the absolute winner of the Republican "ECOleader" contest. JSC TANECO was awarded the first place in the nomination "Oil Production and Petrochemical Industry."

The awarding ceremony of the winners of the Republican "ECOleader" and "Man and Nature" contests was held in Kazan with the participation of Ildar Khalikov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The main contest objective is proliferation of the best practice of enterprises and organizations in terms of environmental and resource-saving activities, as well as stimulation of environmental activities of the enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan. This year, more than one hundred enterprises and organizations of the Republic, which had introduced the best technologies in the environmental field during the year, took part in the contest.

The award of JSC TATNEFT was another confirmation of the highly effective nature conservation measures implemented by the Company in the region of the Company's activities. The activities of JSC TATNEFT in the field of occupational and environmental safety are carried out in accordance with the policy of JSC TATNEFT in industrial safety, health and environment, and within a special large-scale environmental program of JSC TATNEFT for the period from 2000 to 2015.

The Company continued comprehensive work to improve the environmental safety of the oil fields' development. The work carried out resulted in avoiding any manmade accidents, which could damage the environment.

In 2014, the Company passed successfully the regular supervisory audit of the integrated management system for industrial safety, health and environment of TATNEFT certified in 2006 for compliance with the requirements of ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001: 2007 standards.

The total investments of JSC TATNEFT aimed at ensuring environmental safety from all the sources of funding (operating costs, investments) amounted to more than 5 billion rubles in 2014.

The TANECO Refining and Petrochemical Plants Complex was named the best in one of the major nominations: "Oil Production and Petrochemical Industry". TANECO is one of the most modern refineries constructed with application of the latest developments in crude oil refining. Innovative technologies and equipment allow minimizing the impact of manufacturing processes on the environment and making efficient use of natural resources and energy.

One of the priority goals of the Company is outputting products that meet the highest environmental standards. In 2014, TANECO began production of the Euro-5 standard diesel fuel. The ultra-low content of sulfur and polycyclic aromatic compounds allows saving fuel and ensures positive effect on the environmental situation. Preservation of the favorable environment is one of the main business principles of TANECO.

Ildar Khalikov, Prime Minister of Tatarstan, said at the awarding ceremony: "I am glad that our petroleum and petrochemical companies set the tone of the industry development. Upon the whole, they do much more for the environmental protection than it is provided for by the law".

The awarding of the "Man and Nature" mass media contest winners took place on the same day. The Company's corporate media journalists, who actively promote environmental issues through the media, thereby contributing to the environmental education and awareness of the population in our Republic, were among the winners. JSC TATNEFT's TV studio was named among the best in the category "Best TV story".