Environmental Laboratory on Wheels

The environmental laboratory on wheels costing more than 7 million rubles is fitted both with imported and domestic equipment. The laboratory is designed to measure mass concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, hydrocarbons, suspended particles (dust), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other substances in the air. New equipment is reliable, and what most important, it is easy to operate. In addition, the mobile environmental laboratory also incorporates a meteorological observing station, which will provide data on temperature and humidity, barometric pressure and wind direction.
Today, the certified sanitary and industrial laboratory of OAO TATNEFT is rigged with the latest equipment for gas analysis control that allows users to quickly identify the concentration of emissions and take appropriate decisions to improve the environment status.
The Company has accomplished a lot of things in previous years to improve the air quality in the oil region. The Company effectively implements various air protection technologies. There are 43 hydrocarbon vapor recovery units (VRU) operating at the sites of OAO TATNEFT. Hydrocarbon emissions into the atmosphere have been reduced 4.5 times as much and 1.4 million tons of additional hydrocarbon raw materials have been received since introduction of vapor recovery units (since 1991). There is a system of continuous air monitoring operating in the region of the Company's production activity. More than 9 thousand air samples were analyzed for main pollutants by 33 components in 2009 and the first quarter of 2010. As a result of implementing a range of conservation activities OAO TATNEFT has decreased gross emissions of air pollutants by 3.2 times for the past 20 years. Total emissions of the Company's enterprises into the atmosphere today do not exceed the established maximum permissible concentration levels.
The Company is implementing the "Program of Activities for utilization of associated petroleum gas (APG) at the facilities of TATNEFT for 2009-2013". The "Program of activities for the phased commissioning of hydrogen sulfide stripping units at the sites of OAO TATNEFT for 2009-2011" is being implemented for the purpose of reducing emissions of hydrogen sulfide.
Since 2000, about 1,600 motor vehicles have been transferred to use compressed natural gas, which is a more environmentally friendly and clean fuel. All motor vehicles are checked for toxicity of exhaust gases on a continuous basis. As a result of organizational and technical measures to optimize transport operation the fuel consumption by the Company's vehicles decreased by 13.8% in 2009 compared with 2008. TATNEFT is constructing TANECO complex in Nizhnekamsk, where a modern oil refinery will be put into operation and will produce Euro-4 standard gasoline. Usage of this high-grade fuel by the vehicles in the region will significantly reduce the content of harmful and toxic substances in exhaust gases.
For the purpose of rehabilitating the environment in its area of activity and increasing the absorption of greenhouse gases TATNEFT performs a large-scale program of planting of green strips along oil field roads and public highways. As part of landscaping more than 395 thousand plants have been planted along the roads in the region with more than 43 thousand seedlings of broadleaf and coniferous species planted in 2009.
Environmental protection activities of TATNEFT are dictated not only by economic benefits and stringent environmental requirements, but primarily by the responsibility of the Company to its own staff and the community at large.