JSC Russian Railways, PJSC Gazprom, JSC Transmashholding and Sinara Group signed an agreement to cooperate in the use of natural gas as motor fuel. The signing took place during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The cooperation will be aimed at expanding the use of natural gas as motor fuel in railway and automobile vehicles, reducing emissions that impact on the environment and facilitate the construction of Russian machinery.
Under the agreement, Gazprom will contribute to testing samples of railway vehicles using natural gas as motor fuel, to ensure the construction of gas motor fuel infrastructure and refueling engines with liquefied natural gas (LNG). Russian Railways will determine the gas motor fuel infrastructure construction areas according to operating domains of the NGV engine-based rolling stock.
Transmashholding will contribute to the agreement by ensuring the certification, manufacture of the consistency batch and maintenance of TEM19 gas-turbine locomotives based on a life cycle contract. Sinara Group will ensure the certification, manufacture of the consistency batch and maintenance of GT1h-002 mainline gas turbine locomotives based on a life cycle.
Russian Railways, which has experienced its first LNG locomotive in 2014, it is also developing a programme for the conversion to natural gas of motor vehicles used in the other Company's business activities.