OREANDA-NEWS. March 05, 2010. OAO TATNEFT presented a report on its activities in the field of industrial and environmental safety at the extended session of the Volga Federal Service Administration for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostekhnadzor) held in Kazan, reported the press-centre of TATNEFT.

The meeting was attended by Rustam Minnikhanov, Prime Minister of Tatarstan, Nikolay Kut'in, Head of the Rostekhnadzor Federal Service and Managers of large enterprises of Tatarstan, Mari El and Chuvashiya. Before the meeting the participants had familiarized with the exposition of relevant topics. At the display stands of TATNEFT Nikolay Kut'in was particularly interested in samples of the Company's corrosion-resisting tubular products, as well as in the other developments in the field of environmental and industrial safety.

The main speaker at the meeting was Boris Petrov, Head of the Volga Rostekhnadzor Administration. According to his information the accident rate at the power engineering facilities reduced 10-fold in 2009 versus the year 2005, and the accident rate at the industrial enterprises reduced 2-fold. Rustam Minnikhanov noted that Tatarstan is a Republic with intensive technogenic load due to the presence of many large enterprises in oil production, refining, pipelines, and it is impossible to provide for the issues of technological security, reduction of technogenic impact on the environment without systematic work. According to the head of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan today large industrial companies do a lot in their power to reduce human impacts on the environment. Rustam Minnikhanov identified reduction of flaring the associated gas as a separate subject, which the Republic has to work on. He noted that TATNEFT now recycles 95% of associated gas, while the small oil companies still face serious work in this direction.

Vladimir Fadeev, Head of Production Department - Deputy Chief Engineer of the Company, presented more detailed information about the activities of TATNEFT in the course of the meeting. He said that the Company had developed and implemented the "Policy of TATNEFT in the area of industrial, occupational and environmental safety". The priorities are: to ensure safe working conditions, health protection of the personnel and the public, reduction of man-induced impacts on the environment, rational use of natural resources.

The company has developed and effectively operates now the Integrated Management System (IMS) for industrial, occupational and environmental safety. This system has been certified for compliance with international standards ISO 14001:2004 (environmental management system) and ONSAS 18001:2007 (occupational health and safety).

The Company spends significant funds (about 4 billion rubles in 2009) for implementation of programs of environmental safety and rational use of natural resources. The Company has implemented the "Program of OAO TATNEFT in industrial and occupational safety to prevent injuries, reduce the risk of accidents and unplanned losses for 2007-2009" for the purpose of meeting the requirements of international standard ON8A8 18001.

The purposeful work of oilmen aimed at reducing emissions in the atmosphere since 2006 has resulted in "zero" percentage of excessive hydrogen sulfide content in the air in the populated localities of the south-eastern part of Tatarstan. TATNEFT planted more than 395 thousand plants, including more than 43 thousand in 2009, under the program of landscaping strips along highways. A monitoring system has been developed and implemented for operational control over the quality of surface and groundwater in the region of the Company's activities. As a result of accomplishing activities to protect water bodies the content of chlorides, oil and petroleum products in the dissolved and emulsified state in the major rivers complies with the standard values.

The meeting was concluded with signing of the Agreement on cooperation between Rostekhnadzor and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan in the field of oil production, petrochemical and oil refining complex in Tatarstan.