Gazprom workshop focuses on sustainability, environment

Russian gas company Gazprom recently conducted a workshop on its environmental protection programmes and sustainable development initiatives at its representative office in Doha.Representatives from Gazprom’s headquarters delivered presentations on the company’s development strategy, the advantages of using natural gas in preserving the environment, and the role of Gazprom in the field of ‘decarbonisation’.While providing its customers with affordable and reliable energy resources, Gazprom said the company also contributes a lot to environmental protection through the reduction of emissions of toxins and greenhouse gases.The workshop, which carried the theme ‘Natural Gas for Sustainable Development of the Planet’, gathered representatives from Qatar’s ministries, energy companies, international organisations, and the diplomatic corps.It also addressed the significant role of natural gas in securing sustainable development in the economy and ecology, and discussed matters related to innovations in the gas industry.Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the workshop, Gazprom director of Representative Office Dmitry Soloviev said the initiative serves as a platform for key players in Qatar’s public and private sectors to gather and exchange ideas on sustainable development in the natural gas sector.“What we need now is to promote optimism and awareness, and we should also realise that natural gas from fossil fuels is the most environment-friendly source of energy. Everybody supports sustainability and I think the core objective of this knowledge sharing initiative is to emphasise our support for all types of environment conscious activities,” Soloviev emphasised.According to Soloviev, Russia had declared 2017 as ‘The Year of Ecology’, and that Gazprom’s workshop in Doha is part of that initiative. “This responsibility, as well as natural resource conservation, is a mindset for our environmental activity. Gazprom is one of the first Russian companies to adopt an environmental policy and moreover, for each investment project, the company runs a special environmental examination,” Soloviev explained.Asked if Gazprom aims to hold regular environmental awareness initiatives in Doha, Soloviev said he hopes the succeeding years would also be declared as ‘The Year of Ecology’ in Russia. “As a global energy company, we are holding a lot of events aimed at raising a lot of awareness about the environment,” he said, adding that Gazprom held its first workshop in Doha in 2015. “This is the second workshop in Doha, but I think each ecological or environmental issue is very interesting and this sort of initiative plays a positive and significant role in addressing these issues,” he pointed out.According to Soloviev, Gazprom opened its Qatar office in 2013 as the company’s regional office in the GCC. Aside from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum being headquartered in Qatar, Soloviev said Gazprom selected Qatar for its location because of its leading global and regional position in the LNG sector.“The company is eager to build more cooperation with Qatar and other regional companies to participate in projects,” he added.