OREANDA-NEWS. December 31, 2009. At the present time it is the only award in the Russian Federation, which is awarded to socially responsible companies developing and introducing ecological and energy-saving technologies. The Federation Council of Russia, State Duma and the Fund named after academician V.I.Vernadsky are the promoters, and the world-famous scientists are included into the jury. These two facts witness of prestige value of the award.

The contest has been held for the sixth time. And all these years tens of ministries, departments, separate regions, industrial enterprises, scientific-research institutes have been striving to become the winner. 162 requests were received by the jury in 2009. All the requests were of high level preparation, but the members of the jury had to define only the best long-run developments in the field of cost-effective use of resources, clean productions, ecological education and social initiatives.

Together with Oil Refining and Petrochemical Complex of Nizhnekamsk, more than twenty participants presented their designs in the nomination "Ecology of the town". Among them are such serious competitors as the government of Belgorodskaya oblast, Moscow state university named after Lomonosov, ministry of agriculture of Omskaya oblast, Department of natural resources and environment protection of Tomskaya oblast. But even many of those challengers, who were striving in other eight nominations, took a great interest in TANECO specialists’ design: "Design of united sanitary protection zone for the industrial hub of Nizhnekamsk".