OREANDA-NEWS. A meeting of the Gazprom Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency took place today at the Company's headquarters. The meeting was moderated by Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Company's Management Committee and Head of the Coordinating Committee. Taking part in the meeting were heads of the Company's structural units and subsidiaries.

The Committee members summed up Gazprom's environmental activities in 2015. It was stressed that Gazprom had continued its consistent efforts aimed at mitigating environmental impacts. As a result, in 2015 Gazprom's subsidiary companies reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 7.3 per cent and water consumption by 7.8 per cent versus 2014.

Energy saving and energy efficiency are key to Gazprom's environmental activities. In 2015, the Company saved 2.7 million tons of fuel equivalent on fuel and energy resources, including 2.255 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 260.6 million kWh of electricity, and 205,000 Gcal of heat. The total cost of the resources saved in 2015 equaled RUB 7.8 billion, exceeding the level of 2014 by over RUB 0.6 billion.

Moreover, Gazprom arranges a number of voluntary environmental campaigns in Russia and abroad every year. Last year alone saw, inter alia, over 140,000 trees and bushes planted, over 28,000 hectares and over 330 water reservoirs cleared of trash, 20 specially protected areas restored, and fish stocks in some Russian rivers rebuilt. The abovementioned activities were carried out by around 308,000 people, including 100,000 employees from 62 subsidiaries of Gazprom, 40,000 students and schoolchildren, and local residents.

The meeting participants also took note of the information provided by Gazprom's Environmental Inspection Service. In 2015, the Service conducted 539 environmental compliance inspections in 52 subsidiary companies and organizations of Gazprom. In addition, 544 inspections were carried out in 29 subsidiary companies and organizations with the purpose of monitoring the efficiency of natural gas use.