SIBUR to take part in a carbon monitoring project in the Voronezh Region

Voronezh, 8 June 2021. SIBUR’s Voronezh site (Voronezhsintezkauchuk), the Government of the Voronezh Region, and Morozov Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies have reached an agreement on cooperation in R&D and innovation with an intention to develop and implement a carbon monitoring project in the Voronezh Region. To that end, a trilateral agreement was signed by Alexander Gusev, Governor of the Voronezh Region, Ilya Korzhenovsky, CEO of SIBUR’s Voronezh site, and Mikhail Drapalyuk, Rector of Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies.

Carbon monitoring stations are areas with a unique ecosystem created to monitor climatically active gases together with universities and research organisations. They enable a number of crucial environmental studies, giving an opportunity to assess the removal potential of the areas. In the future, these stations will also help study possible options to increase this potential by creating a plant species mix, including their selective breeding based on local environment conditions and land use methods.

The trilateral agreement envisages the creation of a carbon monitoring station to conduct research and measure GHG emissions and removals with a focus on the capacity of natural GHG absorbers and reservoirs. Furthermore, steps will be taken to raise awareness about R&D and innovation activities aimed at increasing the GHG removal capacity of forests in the Voronezh Region. The agreement also provides for outreach campaigns to change the public opinion on climate change.

Alexander Gusev, Governor of the Voronezh Region, emphasised the importance of the agreement in his statement:

"This is an immensely important agreement that envisages the creation of a carbon monitoring station to conduct research and measure GHG emission and removal volumes. The University’s forestry unit manages areas with a wide range of forest ecosystems that fully meet the requirements to serve as a carbon monitoring site."

Ilya Korzhenovsky, CEO of SIBUR’s Voronezh site (Voronezhsintezkauchuk):

"The agreement signed by the regional government, SIBUR and the University of Forestry and Technology is the first and crucial step towards enhancing our long-term partnership. I am convinced that our cooperation will prove fruitful. We will join forces to deliver on a large-scale social project in the Voronezh Region by developing a carbon monitoring station. Climate agenda is of vital importance today, as it resonates with people from around the world. Mitigation of the climate impact is an essential element of SIBUR's 2025 Sustainable Development Strategy, which is why the Company has made it a priority to support such projects and invest in them."

According to Mikhail Drapalyuk, Rector of Morozov Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies, the carbon monitoring site will help gain new insights into UAV forest surveying and economic incentives in forest management.

Voronezh is the second Russian region where SIBUR will support the creation of a carbon monitoring station. In March 2021, the Company sponsored a similar project in the Tyumen Region.