Qatargas wins environmental award

The 'Qatar Today Green Award', the first of its kind in Qatar, recognizes initiatives taken by corporations, institutions, schools and individuals towards a better and greener environment in Qatar and the region. Mr. Frederick Guirguis, Acting Chief Safety, Environment and Quality Officer accepted the award on behalf of Qatargas.

Qatargas won the award for its coral relocation program completed in early 2007. The program involved the relocation of over 4,500 coral colonies in an area that would have been affected by the Company's expansion projects. The coral colonies were carefully detached from the seafloor, safely transported to the new location and then reattached to the seafloor. Scientists then numbered and tagged the sites for future monitoring.

The coral protection plan was implemented in close cooperation with Ministry of Environment (formerly the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves - SCENR) and the State of Qatar. A recent survey carried out in August 2008, the third of its kind since the corals were relocated, showed that a high percentage (96%) of the reattached colonies were alive and healthy, 18 months after relocation.

Toufik Benmosbah, Qatargas Chief Safety, Environment and Quality Officer, said:

"We are indeed happy and proud to receive this award. This will certainly motivate us to continue working towards the protection of valuable environmental resources in Qatar and other parts of the world where we operate."

This project represents an option for off-site mitigation and is an excellent example of proactive environmental regulation, corporate responsibility, and advanced field technology applied in concert to reduce impacts to a viable hard coral habitat.

The awards were instituted by 'Qatar Today' magazine with the aim of increasing awareness and motivating behavioral change in relation to the protection and preservation of the environment. The awards are divided into various categories including Environmental Vision in the Energy Sector Award, Youth and Community Projects Award and Best Public Awareness Campaign Award.

Qatargas is pro-actively involved in various environmental protection initiatives in the state of Qatar and is committed to responsible environmental stewardship. In late 2006, Qatargas was awarded the ISO 14001:2004 certificate for environmental management.