March 25, 2022
A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Sergey Kogogin, Director General of KAMAZ, took place today in St. Petersburg.
It was noted that the parties have been successfully cooperating in the area of natural gas vehicle (NGV) market development in Russia for many years.
For instance, when identifying promising sales markets, KAMAZ takes into account Gazprom's plans for expanding its network of compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations.
Gazprom actively purchases natural gas-fueled vehicles from KAMAZ to update its truck fleet: a total of 3,600 units were acquired in 2014–2021.
In addition, Gazprom facilitates the expansion of the line of the natural gas vehicles produced by KAMAZ. For example, the Company commissioned KAMAZ to develop special-purpose trucks KAMAZ-5490 Neo powered by liquefied natural gas. The trucks are intended for reliable transportation of thermally-insulated containers with liquid helium from the Amur Gas Processing Plant.
In the course of the meeting, Alexey Miller and Sergey Kogogin signed two agreements of cooperation between Gazprom and KAMAZ. The documents envisage the creation of new vehicle models, including gas-powered ones, and their managed maintenance.
The parties agreed that KAMAZ for the benefit of Gazprom and its subsidiaries would develop prototypes of motor vehicles adapted to their needs. Advanced technologies and digital solutions will be used to create the new models.
The prototypes will be tested under real-life conditions at the production facilities of Gazprom. The Company will select the test sites, assist KAMAZ in testing the vehicles, and take part in approving the test results.
For the purpose of implementing the agreements, the parties will develop a synchronization plan (roadmap) for the creation and acquisition of motor vehicles.
Alexey Miller also met with KAMAZ-master sports team. Special mention was made of the team's triumph at the Dakar Rally 2022, where KAMAZ-master crews took all places on the podium. The Russian team is currently preparing for new competitions, including the Silk Way Rally which is scheduled for July 2022 and is being held with support of Gazprom. In 2022, KAMAZ-master team is launching a joint project with Gazprom for creation of sports trucks with hybrid propulsion units and hydrogen propulsion units.
Background
Gazprom carries out extensive work to develop Russia's NGV market. For instance, Gazprom has agreements with the largest automakers to include natural gas-powered models into their product lines.
In June 2015, Gazprom and KAMAZ signed the Agreement on strategic areas of cooperation for the wider use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel.
The KAMAZ Group of Companies is the largest automotive corporation in the Russian Federation. Currently, KAMAZ is implementing a program for development and manufacturing of NGVs and takes active part in governmental programs aiming to develop the NGV market.
The gas-fueled KAMAZ is a special model of a sports truck powered by natural gas. The model was created in 2013 by KAMAZ-master team with the support of Gazprom and VTB Bank. The project's goal is to demonstrate benefits of using natural gas as a vehicle fuel in challenging conditions of rally marathons.
