The Gazprom Headquarters hosted today a meeting of the Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency. The meeting was moderated by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom Management Committee, Head of the Coordinating Committee.

Taking part in the meeting were heads of Gazprom Administration specialized subdivision and subsidiary companies – Gazprom razvitiye and Gazprom Neft.

The meeting participants discussed the results of Gazprom’s environmental activities for 2008. It was emphasized that the total level of the environmental impact by Gazprom’s subsidiaries had flattened over the last year. In particular, pollutant emissions were below 40 per cent of the prescribed volume.

The key areas of this year’s improved environmental performance were fewer methane emissions and a bigger share of recycled wastes. Special attention will be paid to the intensified personnel training (both managers and experts) in the areas of ecological management and environmental protection.

The Coordinating Committee addressed the implementation results of the 2007-2010 Gazprom Energy Saving Program in 2008. The fuel and energy reserves conservation by Gazprom subsidiaries accounted for 2.8 million of fuel equivalent over the last year. These include some 2.4 billion cubic meters of gas, 250.5 million kW/h of electric power energy and 204.6 thousand Gkal of heat energy. The total amount of saved fuel and energy reserves surpassed the planned rate by 18 per cent.

The participants discussed the proposals relevant to increasing the share of associated gases disposition in Gazprom Group until 2020 and until 2030 in the long term. It was highlighted that between 2007 and 2008 the share of associated gas utilization in Gazprom Group (Gazprom Neft inclusive) grew from 49.5 to 57.8 per cent. The volume of investments required for performing comprehensive activities for expanding the share of associated gas disposition at Gazprom’s fields for a period until 2012 is estimated at RUB 27.7 billion. These funds will raise disposition to 95 per cent.

Based on the meeting results the appropriate tasks were given aimed at timely and maximally efficient implementation of environmental activities.

Background:

Gazprom’s Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection was established in October 2007 in order to provide an integrated approach and coordinate the environmental activities of the Company’s structural units and subsidiaries.

The major goals of the Committee are as follows:

- comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of the Gazprom Group environmental activities;

- introduction of an integrated management system for environmental, energy saving and energy efficiency areas;

- coordination of Gazprom’s interaction with environmental authorities and public entities.

At present, Gazprom is implementing the Energy Saving Program for 2007 through 2010, which will allow saving in the order of 11 million tons of fuel equivalent including 10.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas, some 1.3 billion kW/h of electric power energy, 1.2 million Gkal of fuel energy and 30 thousand tons of fuel equivalent of diesel fuel and boiler-furnace fuel.