Environmental Protection
Gazprom Group’s long-term strategic goals in environmental protection
- Continuously reducing negative environmental impact, implementing all available resource conservation measures, and preserving biodiversity;
- making production processes more energy efficient and cutting GHG emissions;
- protecting the interests and rights of indigenous minorities to preserve traditional lifestyles and original living environments;
- improving environmental competencies of staff, increasing employee engagement in reducing relevant risks, consistently enhancing the environmental management system (EMS) and performance indicators;
- ensuring broad accessibility of environmental data to all stakeholders.
Environmental Policy
The Gazprom Group has identified its key environmental protection commitments and mechanisms to uphold them. These are outlined in the Environmental Policy of PJSC Gazprom and aim to ensure environmental safety across the Gazprom Group's operations.
PJSC Gazprom shares the key provisions of the precautionary principle and makes every effort to minimize its potential technogenic impact on the natural environment and to conserve rare and endangered species of flora and fauna along with unique natural areas and sites. PJSC Gazprom seeks to mitigate the risks of adverse environmental impacts when planning investment projects, such as the development of oil and gas fields in the continental shelf and the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation. As part of investment project development, PJSC Gazprom’s experts perform a comprehensive environmental impact assessment to evaluate the baseline state of key ecosystem components and identify the most vulnerable flora and fauna species. They also devise measures to prevent disturbances to the natural balance, minimize environmental effects, and protect the environment during construction and operation of facilities. PJSC Gazprom continuously monitors permafrost and takes steps to make structures more stable and resilient.
For more details on the Gazprom Group’s environmental regulations, see Appendix.
Environmental management system
The environmental management system (EMS) is the mainstay of PJSC Gazprom’s Environmental Policy.
EMS boundaries
- Structural units of PJSC Gazprom’s Administration;
- 37 wholly owned subsidiaries of PJSC GazpromSubsidiaries engaged in the Group’s core activities (gas and gas condensate exploration, production, transportation, storage, and processing) and managing investment projects in the construction sector.;
- PJSC Gazprom’s Environmental Inspectorate
- Gazprom VNIIGAZ Corporate Research and Development Center for Environmental Protection and Energy Performance
The EMS encompasses all management levels ranging from PJSC Gazprom’s Board of Directors to branches and production facilities of its subsidiaries.
The Management Committee of PJSC Gazprom is responsible for the overall management of environmental protection.
PJSC Gazprom’s Coordinating Committee for Rational Use of Natural Resources is in charge of ensuring the rational use of natural resources and reducing specific greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the Gazprom Group’s operations.
The committee is led by a senior executive who oversees the performance of PJSC Gazprom’s energy and environmental management systems.
In 2023, PJSC Gazprom’s environmental management system was audited and found to be in compliance with the GOST R ISO 14001-2016 standard.
Achievement of the corporate environmental targets by PJSC Gazprom, %
| Corporate environmental target | Organizations within the EMS scope | Baseline (2018) | Actual performance (2022) | Target achievement status | Actual performance (2023) | Target achievement status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce GHG emissions during transportation of natural gas, t of СО2 equivalent / bcm•kms | All subsidiaries involved in natural gas transportation | 56.70The baseline was adjusted due to changes in the EMS boundaries since 2018 (to include 2018 performance of all subsidiaries covered by the EMS in 2023).. | 44.80 | 18.99 % ↓ | 46.62 | 17.8 % ↓ | The reduction in GHG emissions was due to energy saving efforts, innovations, greater reliance on resource-saving solutions, and decreases in natural gas consumption for fuel purposes and in product transportation volume as a result of lower gas supplies. |
| Reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the atmosphere during transportation of natural gas, t/mcm | All subsidiaries involved in natural gas transportation | 4,23 | 4.03 | 4.73 % ↓ | 4.06 | 4.01 % ↓ | The reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions was due to a decrease in production and energy saving efforts. |
| Reduce excessive discharges of pollutants into surface water bodies, % | All subsidiaries with a negative environmental footprint |
5.26The baseline was adjusted due to changes in the EMS boundaries since 2018 (to include 2018 performance of all subsidiaries covered by the EMS in 2023). | 0.01 | 5.28 п. п. ↓ | 1.47 | 3.79 п. п. ↓ | The reduction was due to initiatives boosting the efficiency of water use for production and utility purposes and improving the wastewater treatment quality. |
| Reduce the share of waste sent for burial in the total waste managed, % | All subsidiaries with a negative environmental footprint |
37.53The baseline was adjusted due to changes in the EMS boundaries since 2018 (to include 2018 performance of all subsidiaries covered by the EMS in 2023). | 13.44 | 24.84 п. п. ↓ | 16.27 | 21.26 п. п. ↓ |
Less waste was generated across all business segments due to fewer wells drilled and the completion of programs to repair fixed assets, including gas trunklines. The share of waste sent for burial went down thanks to adopted best available technologies and more efficient management of production and consumption waste as a result. |
| Reduce the share of subsidiaries whose fees for excessive negative environmental impact are above 5%, % | All subsidiaries with a negative environmental footprint | 35 | 5.41 | 29.59 п. п. ↓ | 10.81 | 24.19 п. п. ↓ | The share of fees for excessive environmental impact went down due to the timely issuance of permits. |
Environmental Protection Expenditures
In 2023, the Gazprom Group’s investments in capital assets aimed at environmental protection and rational use of natural resources totaled RUB 52.07 billion. The current environmental protection expenditures came in at RUB 43.5 billion.
Gazprom Group’s environmental protection expenditures, RUB million
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2023/2022, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investments in capital assets aimed at environmental protection and rational use of natural resources | 60,529.57 | 47,971.71 | 52,068.48 | +8.5 |
| Current environmental protection expenditures | 36,303.25 | 40,419.70 | 43,517.90 | +7.7 |
| Negative environmental impact fees | 710.64 | 747.34 | 646.23 | –13.5 |
| Total for the Gazprom Group | 97,543.46 | 89,138.75 | 96,232.61 | +8.0 |
In 2023, investments in capital assets aimed at environmental protection and rational use of natural resources increased by 8.5% due to the construction of air protection facilities at Gazprom Neft and Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat. Current environmental protection expenditures went up by 7.7% driven by higher operating costs attributed to environmental protection measures and nature conservation services, including those associated with the preservation and restoration of lands, surface and ground water, wastewater collection and treatment, as well as air protection and climate change prevention (the Gazprom Group experienced an increase in the volume of natural gas evacuation through mobile compressor stations, resulting in reduced emissions of air pollutants). The Gazprom Group’s negative environmental impact fees decreased by 13.5% thanks to the timely issuance of permits. The Gazprom Group’s total environmental protection expenditures rose by 8% driven both by higher investments in capital assets aimed at environmental protection and rational use of natural resources as well as increased current environmental protection expenditures.
Environmental risk management measures
The Gazprom Group is undertaking the following measures to mitigate natural, climate, and environmental risks:
- developing and implementing energy efficiency and energy saving programs;
- leveraging effective operating procedures adapted to various climatic conditions;
- implementing programs to boost the efficiency of gas production and transportation systems and gas transmission network operation;
- analyzing potential adverse environmental impacts and their implications resulting from identified accidents and other emergencies; implementing activities for emergency prevention, localization, response, and impact mitigation;
- assessing environmental damage in case of accidents and other emergencies;
- implementing comprehensive initiatives related to the enhancement of reliability of pipeline systems, landscape stabilization, soil reclamation, and vegetation rehabilitation.
To enhance employees’ awareness of the importance of environmental protection, the Gazprom Group organizes training initiatives for its personnel. In 2023, over 8,755 employees of Gazprom Group entities were covered by environmental training programs.
The latter included dedicated training sessions for managers and employees of units involved in environmental protection. The participants received training on the “Ecology. 1C-Corporate Management Systems. Environmental Protection” information system and enhanced their qualifications in conducting environmental assessments. Training courses on environmental management in the gas industry were also organized for PJSC Gazprom’s employees, where participants studied the functioning of the environmental management system and discussed issues related to evaluating its effectiveness. Additionally, distance learning opportunities were made available to employees, covering various environmental topics.
Environmental training of the Gazprom Group’s employees
| Indicator | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Change 2023/2022, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of employees who received environmental training | 7,429 | 8,055 | 8,755 | +8.7 |
| Including employees who received training in the EMS | 1,957 | 1,680 | 1,235 | –26.5 |
