Russia’s Irkutsk Oblast, located in southeastern Siberia, is to test a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered grain harvester manufactured by Belarusian manufacturer Gomselmash. The trial has been formalised under a cooperation agreement signed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Irkutsk Region and Gomselmash OJSC.
The agreement provides for the supply to one of the farms in the region of the Belarusian gas combine PALESSE GS4118K for field trials in the harvest season of 2019. The current limited availability of gas supply means the farm had to be selected from those near a gas filling station.
Irkutsk Oblast Agriculture Minister Ilya Sumarokov explained: “Upon instructions of the oblast governor we’ve looked into the possibility of using agricultural machines powered by natural gas. Their trials have already been held in Belarus and Russia’s Tatarstan Republic. Certainly, there are many factors to take into account such as timely refueling, gas delivery and so. We’ve chosen an agricultural company with the necessary infrastructure and a natural gas refueling station nearby. This is why a Gomselmash harvester powered by natural gas will be tested next year. We will use the test’s results to calculate the economic advisability of using such vehicles.”
According to the manufacturer, the use of methane instead of diesel fuel could “reduce fuel costs by 40%, as well as reduce the amount of harmful emissions”.
Related article: Gomselmash Introduces CNG-Powered Combine Harvester
