A working meeting among Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Donald James Umpleby III, President of Caterpillar Group took place a few days ago as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2013. The parties stressed that the Russian vehicle natural gas vehicle (NGV) market had a high potential for growth with possibilities for cooperation between the companies.
The talks resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding concerning potential cooperation in using gas as a vehicle fuel.
The document provides for exploring the possibilities for interaction aimed at introducing various equipment using natural gas as a vehicle fuel in Russia. It is planned that mining and petroleum industries, railroad transport, power generation and shipbuilding will be the major areas of joint activities aimed at the expansion of gas-powered equipment utilization.
Gazprom has been making sustained efforts to develop the Russian NGV market. Starting from 2013, the Russian Regions Gasification Program contains a mandatory section stipulating the construction of CNG filling stations and the conversion of motor vehicles to gas.
The Company plans to gradually increase the share of its own vehicles (motor, specialty, road-building and weight-lifting equipment) running on natural gas.
A program for the expanded conversion of Gazprom Group’s vehicles to natural gas between 2014 and 2017 will be devised this year.
(Source: Gazprom)
