Cutting-edge domestic gas-fired railway vehicles to appear in Russia
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Today Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors, Chairman of the Management Committee Director General of Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo and Dmitry Pumpyansky, President of Sinara Group signed an Agreement of Cooperation as part of natural gas use as a vehicle fuel.
The parties agreed to jointly devise and implement programs for creating, testing and introducing samples of gas-powered railway vehicles. Sinara Transport Machines (divisional holding of Sinara Group) will take on the task of creating locomotives running on natural gas.
Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo will supervise the construction of NGV infrastructure complying with up-to-date standards. The buildup of the gas-powered railway vehicle fleet will be synchronized with the development of NGV fuel production capacities and filling infrastructure.
When signing the Agreement the parties pointed out the necessity of governmental support to railway vehicle manufacturing and operating companies owned by Gazprom Group and by Sinara Group as well as to manufacturers and suppliers of natural gas and associated equipment. Within their competence the parties are going to promote tax benefits and action grants for such companies.
Background
The Agreement with Sinara Group will make it possible to go on introducing gas-powered locomotives among Russian railway vehicles.
In 2005 as part of the strategy for increasing the energy efficiency of haulage activities, Russian Railways started the project for designing and manufacturing an LNG-fired locomotive (gas turbine locomotive). The first trips of the gas turbine locomotive showed its efficiency in transporting heavy-duty trains. In 2009 the gas turbine locomotive transported a 15.2 thousand ton freight train. It is a world record for a self-contained locomotive with a single power supply unit. The locomotive was filled at the LNG production complex at GDS-4 owned by Gazprom (Yekaterinburg).
In 2012 Sinara Group concluded an agreement with Russian Railways for setting up production and supplies of mainline gas turbine locomotives running on natural gas. Up to 2020 Sinara Group will manufacture and deliver 40 vehicles of this kind to Russian Railways. The main advantages of gas turbine locomotives are a high capacity and a rather small size as well as cost effectiveness due to the use of LNG which is cheaper compared to diesel fuel.
For the purpose of improving the efficiency of the NGV market development strategy Gazprom set up a special-purpose company – Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo – consolidating the Company’s relevant assets.
Sinara Group is a machine building holding which comprises a construction & engineering center, locomotive and diesel engine manufacturers as well as a servicing company. The company’s strategy is aimed at developing and introducing innovative energy efficient solutions into transport engineering.