|
EBRD and Japan promote Sakhalin environmental programme
European and US firms to help Russian on-shore oil producer
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Japan have joined forces to help Sakhalin's dominant on-shore oil and gas producer, Rosneft Sakhalinmorneftegas (R-SMNG), apply international industry standards in managing environmental and safety issues.
The programme will help R-SMNG implement an Environmental Action Plan to which the company committed as part of a $90 million corporate loan provided by the EBRD last year.
The aim is to help prevent future environmental damage and incidents, achieve a high level of environmental and safety management, and encourage transparency. The funding is mainly being provided by the Japan-Europe Cooperation Fund under a special EBRD programme - with the balance coming from R-SMNG.
Peter Reiniger, the EBRD's Business Group Director for Energy, said the project is another example of the EBRD's policy to promote environmentally sound practices in the Russian Far East, which has became a strategic region for international oil and gas development.
Mr Reiniger welcomed the decision of the Japanese government to make funding available for this project, calling it an important contribution to regional cooperation.
The two-year programme will focus in particular on areas such as oil-spill prevention, waste management, health and safety, staff training and increased communication with the public on environmental issues. The IT Group, a leading European environmental firm, in cooperation with the US environmental consultancies PCCI and EnSafe, will assist R-SMNG, including on ways to improve oil spill prevention and response plans.
R-SMNG's parent company, Rosneft, will participate in the training programme and thus be able to adapt the techniques of this pilot project for its other subsidiaries.
The Japan-Europe Cooperation Fund has provided more than €140 million to the EBRD's Technical Cooperation Funds Programme. This represents over 18 percent of the total and makes Japan the TC programme's largest single contributor.
|
