Gazprom and Russian car manufacturers to join efforts on Russian NGV market development
RELEASE
Release
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and heads of several major Russian car manufacturers – AVTOVAZ, GAZ Group Managing Company and Kirov Plant – today signed Memorandums of Cooperation in the NGV sector as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2013.
The documents are mainly aimed at developing and managing the production of various types of gas-powered vehicles as well as forming favorable conditions for the development of the Russian NGV market.
Inge Andersson, President of GAZ Group Managing Company and Alexey Miller
In order to attain these aims, programs will be devised for designing, testing and introducing NGVs.
The car manufacturers will organize the production of gas-powered vehicles and take part in adapting production & technical facilities of operating companies to NGVs.
Gazprom, in its turn, will coordinate the construction of NGV infrastructure in places of close-together deployment of gas-powered vehicles as well as support the NGV testing. These activities will be performed by a special-purpose company – Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo.
Gazprom and the car manufacturers that signed the Memorandums will perform R&D in NGV design and agree on the relevant supply regions in line with the program for the CNG filling stations construction. Joint work will be organized for creating the infrastructure required for the maintenance of such vehicles as well as for rectifying the deficiencies detected by consumers.
The parties will coordinate the activities aimed at organizing a system of vocational training and retraining for engineers and technicians in the area of NGV operation and maintenance.
In addition, proposals to federal and regional legislative and executive authorities will be jointly developed as regards the creation of favorable conditions for the large-scale introduction of gas-fired vehicles.
Background
AVTOVAZ is Russia's largest and one of the major European car manufacturers. The available production capacities allow AVTOVAZ to manufacture around 800 thousand cars and car components annually.
In June 2013 AVTOVAZ presented its promising car project – LADA Granta CNG – at the exhibition in Novosibirsk. This car runs on two types of fuel – compressed natural gas and gasoline. The combined engine of the car enables it to run over 900 kilometers without refills. AVTOVAZ is currently testing pilot samples of this model.
GAZ Group Managing Company is the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Russia, producing light and medium duty commercial vehicles, buses, heavy duty trucks, automobiles and power packs. The company comprises 13 plants in eight Russian regions.
GAZ Group is the leading Russian manufacturer of gas-powered vehicles: since 2006 the company has been producing LIAZ buses with engines running on compressed gas, since 2010 – GAZel BUSINESS with engines running on liquefied gas, since 2011 – low-floor LIAZ buses running on compressed gas. From 2013 PAZ and KAVZ gas-fired buses will be manufactured. In addition, together with Westport – a global leader in natural gas engines, GAZ Group is currently developing and organizing the production of diesel engines running on CNG for commercial vehicles.
Kirov Plant is one of the largest industrials in Northwestern Russia mainly focused on machine building. The company specializes in agricultural and industrial tractors as well as special-purpose vehicles.
In order to improve the efficiency of Gazprom's strategy for the NGV market development, a special-purpose company – Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo – was set up. The company consolidates Gazprom's relevant core assets.
Earlier, Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo signed several Agreements of Cooperation with the following major manufacturers and distributors of motor vehicles: KAMAZ, VOLGABUS, MAN Truck & Bus Rus, Iveco Russia and STORK.