Today Nizhny Novgorod has hosted the meeting dedicated to plant production of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV).

The meeting was led by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. Attending the meeting were the representatives of the Nizhny Novgorod Administration, federal authorities, heads of Gazprom’s subsidiaries and plant producers of automobile and agricultural equipment.

Opening the meeting Alexander Ananenkov emphasized that NGV amount is constantly growing around the world and now it is more than 5 million units. Almost all the largest foreign motor vehicle companies produce methane-driven NGVs for different use.

“Production of domestic comfortable and safe NGVs is one of the prominent goals for domestic automotive industry. Expanded use of NGVs will help to reach salient economic effect and significantly improve ecological situation especially in big cities. The question is referred to conversion and production of millions of vehicles based on natural gas - economically and ecologically efficient kind of energy of 21st century that will provide stable growth of national economies for most countries in the world,” emphasized Alexander Ananenkov.

The meeting specified that amount of NGVs and agricultural equipment is constantly increasing. The main source of replenishing NGV production is the re-equipment during the process of exploitation. NGV fabrication practically does not exist.

The meeting’s participants reported that our country has a great experience in natural gas use as engine fuel. In the late 1980s GAZ, ZIL, KazmAZ, LAZ, LiAZ plants manufactured methane powered automobiles and buses. By 1990 the Soviet Union had more than 150 thousand NGVs. However in the result of economic reasons the amount of NGVs dramatically declined from 1991 to 1998. After 1998 gas motor fuel demand in Russia started to grow again.

Within the last years consumption of Russian gas by automobile transport daily grows by 20-25 per cent forming the background for NGVs reproduction.

In the result of the meeting the participants expressed common opinions for large scale NGV production and development of NGV market.

Reference:

Natural gas vehicles production accounts for 60 thousand units.

Today 215 NGV fuelling stations operate in 59 Russian regions and 185 stations are owned by Gazprom. In 2005, more than 237 bcm of gas was sold at Russian NGV fuelling stations. Within three quarters of 2006 only Gazprom’s NGV fuelling stations manufactured 191.1 mcm of compressed natural gas.

At present Gazprom’s specialists are involved in developing a draft Law on the use of alternative engine fuels.

Gazprom’s specialists regularly participate in international and Russian conferences, parliament proceedings and round tables as well as regional meetings on natural gas motor fuel use expansion.