OREANDA-NEWS. The Head of Gazprom Neft Management Board Alexander Dyukov and Governor of the Yamalo Nenets Autonomous Region Dmitry Kobylkin have taken the opportunity of the “Sochi 2014” investment forum to sign a memorandum of cooperation on joint initiatives in local environmental protection.

The memorandum reflects the efforts of both parties to join forces in environmental protection, and underlines their commitment to the principles of sustainable development, and to caring for the outstanding natural environment of the region. Cooperation will be centred around ongoing ecological monitoring and control, the rational use and, where possible, the replenishment and restoration of natural resources, and the exchange of experience and know-how in the adoption of international best practices in minimising environmental impacts. The company will also be working closely with the regional administration in utilising the potential of the Yamal region to attract research initiatives in environmental protection, and in supporting the “3R Initiative”.*

The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region is one of the most significant locations for Gazprom Neft's operations, producing approximately one third of the company's consolidated production. The south of the region is the site of mature upstream assets, and the north (the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas) the site of new projects for the development of the Novoportovskoye and Messoyakha fields, where infrastructure is currently being built to allow the fields to be brought into full production. It is precisely these fields that are central to Gazprom Neft's plans for producing 100 million tonnes of oil equivalent (mtoe) by 2020.

The Head of Gazprom Neft Management Board Gazprom Neft Alexander Dyukov commented: “Environmental protection is an overriding priority in the way Gazprom Neft does business, and ecological security is accorded particular attention in the context of the current proactive development of our production base within the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, with the company conducting ongoing ecological monitoring throughout the region in the course of implementing its various projects. We are committed to maintaining our policy of minimising environmental impacts and protecting the traditional way of life of the indigenous population of the Yamal peninsula.”