Release
The closing ceremony of the international Blue Corridor – Gas into Engines 2019 Rally for vehicles powered by natural gas took place today at the 9th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum. The race was sponsored by Gazprom and Germany’s Uniper.
The ceremony was attended by Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors, and Uwe Fip, Senior Vice President of Uniper Global Commodities SE.
The route of the race traversed Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Germany, and Russia (including the Rostov, Voronezh, Belgorod, Moscow, Novgorod and Leningrad Regions). The participants of the European and Russian stages of the rally traveled more than 8,000 kilometers in total.
The race featured cars, trucks and passenger vehicles powered by compressed and liquefied natural gas. The gas-driven vehicles proved the high reliability and cost-effectiveness of natural gas as a vehicle fuel. For instance, during the Russian stage of the rally, the cost of refueling vehicles with natural gas was 2 to 3.5 times lower compared to the use of conventional fuels.
In addition, new NGV refueling facilities of Gazprom were brought into operation during a conference call as part of the Forum.
State-of-the-art CNG filling stations were built in Omsk and Takhtamukai (Republic of Adygea). The stations have the annual capacity of 8.9 million cubic meters and 6.6 million cubic meters of natural gas, respectively. The Omsk station, which is the first CNG station in this city, will service primarily passenger vehicles. The CNG station in Takhtamukai will be mostly used for transit transport.
A parking area for mobile refuelers and cryogenic refueling units was set up in the Kresttsy work settlement (Novgorod Region). It can be used to refuel vehicles on the M-10 federal highway with both CNG and LNG. In 2020, the area will become a construction site for a stationary cryogenic filling station.
Background
The production and marketing of natural gas (methane) as a vehicle fuel is one of Gazprom’s priorities. A special-purpose company, Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo, was established for ensuring the continuous development of the NGV market.
Natural gas (methane) is the most cost-effective and eco-friendly motor fuel. Its average price in Russia is RUB 16 per cubic meter. It costs the drivers of methane-powered cars RUB 1.6 per kilometer driven. In terms of fuel consumption, 1 cubic meter of methane is equivalent to 1 liter of gasoline. Methane-driven vehicles have repeatedly proven their reliability during international long-distance auto races and sports competitions.
