OMV Petrom planted one million seedlings within the program "Romania plants for tomorrow", the largest private afforestation initiative in the country

OMV Petrom planted one million seedlings within the program "Romania plants for tomorrow", the largest private afforestation initiative in the country

• The campaign was launched in 2020 and targets a total of 1.5 million seedlings planted

OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy company in South-Eastern Europe, has started the autumn plantings phase within the campaign "Romania plants for tomorrow" with a planting event near Petrom City.

Christina Verchere, CEO OMV Petrom: "I strongly believe that a green future begins with each of us, with every tree planted, close to home, or part of a future forest. The 1,000,000 seedling we have reached is a proof of OMV Petrom's commitment in the context of climate change and also of the wish to do good of the thousands of volunteers involved in the Romania plants for tomorrow program."

The planting campaign, which started in March 2020, runs over three years and is supported by OMV Petrom with 4.6 million euros. The afforestation actions are carried out with the support of six NGOs recognized for their contributions to the protection of the environment in Romania - Act for Tomorrow, Mai Mult Verde, We plant good deeds in Romania, The Children's Forest, Viitor Plus and the Văcăreşti Natural Park Association.

This fall there will be plantings in 19 communities within 13 counties: Berveni (Satu Mare), Parcul Natural Văcărești and Colegiul Media (București), Comarnic, Brazi, Ploiești, Scorțeni, Urlați (Prahova), Talpa (Teleorman), Giurgiu (Giurgiu), Moinești (Bacău), Urziceni (Ialomița), Ovidiu (Constanta), Mărăcineni, Berca (Buzău), Mănești (Dâmbovița), Celaru, Breasta (Dolj), Buftea (Ilfov), Vasilații (Călărași).

Within the campaign "Romania plants for tomorrow", three other pilot projects have been developed in Romania: the planting of tiny urban forests, the first study that measures the storage of carbon emissions through forests, in collaboration with Forest Design and an educational component designed to bring students closer to nature: the educational forest.

The role of the urban forests is to store carbon, improve air quality, reduce noise, increase biodiversity and prevent the greenhouse effect. The first urban forest was planted this spring in Moinești, and in November and December, three other urban forests will be planted in Buftea, Giurgiu and at the Media College in Bucharest.

OMV Petrom also supports research in the field of carbon capture and finances the first initiative in Romania to calculate and forecast carbon storage in forests already planted within the campaign. This is done by Forest Design through the LiDAR (3D Laser) scanning technique and involves the digitization of the information obtained. More details on the https://www.forestdesign.eu/Portal/.

The Educational Forest is a project carried out in partnership with the Children's Forest Association meant to bring children closer to nature and, at the same time, to make them more responsible by highlighting the multiple benefits that the forest offers.

About OMV Petrom

OMV Petrom is the largest energy company in Southeast Europe, with an annual group-wide oil and gas production of 53 million bep in 2020. The group has a refining capacity of 4.5 million tons annually and operates a high-efficiency power plant of 860 MW. On the retail oil products distribution market, the Group is present in Romania and neighboring countries through 789 gas stations, at the end of June 2021, under two brands, OMV and Petrom.

OMV Aktiengesellschaft, one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria, owns 51% of the shares of OMV Petrom. The Romanian state, through the Ministry of Energy, owns 20.6% of the shares of OMV Petrom, Fondul Proprietatea holds 7%, and 21.4% is freely traded on the Bucharest Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

OMV Petrom is the largest contributor to the state budget, with contributions of approximately 32 billion euros representing taxes, duties and dividends paid between 2005 and 2020.

Since 2007, OMV Petrom has integrated the principles of corporate responsibility into its business strategy. Between 2007 and 2020, the company allocated approximately 72 million euros for the development of communities in Romania, focusing on environmental protection, education, health and local development.

On July 29th, 2020, OMV Petrom announced its support for the recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.