At present, natural gas in the Russian Federation is still most prepared for commercial use and capable of replacing petroleum products. Besides, it has a number of advantages, with environmental friendliness and low costs being the most important ones, as compared to oil and its derivatives.
The global market of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) is constantly developing. The number of cars utilizing methane as fuel has achieved 8 million units.
The fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in Russia has grown five times over the last ten years and continues growing.
In 2007:
- the amount of CNG sales in Russia increased 11.5 per cent (versus 21.1 per cent in 2006) up to 320 million cubic meters;
- CNG vehicle fleet grew by 11.8 per cent (up to 95 thousand units);
- the number of CNG filling stations increased by 3.2 per cent (up to 225 units). Recently, seven stations have been constructed in Russia, of which three stations were commissioned by Gazprom, thus raising the number of its own gas filling stations to 194 units.
In March 2007 Gazprom approved the Targeted Comprehensive Program for the CNG Filling Network and NGV Fleet Development over 2007 to 2015. The Program stipulates:
- constructing another 200 CNG filling stations in Russia at the expense of Gazprom;
- increasing the Russian fleet of NGVs by 50 thousand units;
- equipping all federal and regional motorways with CNG filling stations.
The annual CNG trading in Russia is to be raised to 700 million cubic meters. This will make it possible to replace 500 thousand tons of liquid motor fuels by natural gas and to reduce atmospheric emissions by 320 tons per year.
While taking great care of environmental issues and resource saving issues, Gazprom focuses on switching its own motor vehicles to natural gas – by now, circa 6 thousand out of 28 thousand of the Company's cars run on CNG.
Gazprom transgaz Nizhny Novgorod replaced 780 thousand liters of liquid motor fuels by natural gas during 2007 when refueling its own vehicles converted to natural gas.
This helped improve the environment due to lower atmospheric emissions and save RUB 3.7 million through the use of CNG.
In 2007 Gazprom transgaz Nizhny Novgorod operated 255 units of CNG vehicles and additionally acquired 10 buses powered by natural gas.
Gazprom transgaz Kazan participates in the Program for the conversion of motor vehicles to natural gas as a motor fuel in the Republic of Tatarstan.
In 2007, 21 company-owned vehicles and 162 non-owned vehicles were converted to CNG, compressed natural gas sales through filling stations rose by 3 per cent.
Gazprom transgaz Tomsk continues implementing the Program for converting motor vehicles and agricultural automotive equipment to CNG as the most environmentally-friendly fuel.
As part of the Program, in 2007 the company converted 8 of its own vehicles to natural gas. 19,051 thousand cubic meters of gas was sold via CNG filling stations, a 7 per cent increase versus 2006. The number of filling stations also increased up to 528,338 units, which is 4 per cent more as compared to 2006.
In December 2007, as part of the Russian Regions Gasification Program, CNG trading started in Bratsk. A CNG filling facility was installed there, which expanded the CNG trading network in Siberia.
Gazprom transgaz Volgograd spent RUB 1.43 million in 2007 to supply its motor vehicles with CNG equipment.
Gazprom transgaz Stavropol retrofitted 198 vehicles to run on natural gas, with a total of RUB 1.581 spent on 24 vehicles owned by the company.
During 2007 Gazprom transgaz Saint Petersburg converted 45 vehicles to natural gas, with 20 units owned by the company and 25 units from external companies. As of January 1, 2008 the number of NGVs in the company amounted to 103 units.
The idea to widely utilize natural gas as a motor fuel in the international highway service was put forward in 2000 by the Vernadsky Non-Governmental Ecological Foundation and supported by the Gazprom Administration. The Blue Corridor Project is a large-scale long-term program aimed at establishing transport infrastructure corridors in Europe for the vehicles using natural gas as a motor fuel and a network of gas filling stations for cargo and passenger transportation.
Over the recent years the Project was recurrently presented at various Russian and international forums. In 2006 at the G8 Summit in Saint Petersburg the Blue Corridor Project was included into the Global Energy Security international strategy.
As part of the Project, a special Task Force was set up by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The Task Force is focused on the Project's economic and environmental estimation as well as identifying the terms for its implementation.
Three pilot corridors have been selected:
- Moscow – Minsk – Warsaw – Berlin (1,800 kilometers);
- Berlin – Prague – Rome (1,800 kilometers);
- Helsinki – Saint Petersburg – Moscow (1,100 kilometers).
The third corridor was estimated with due account of possible LNG utilization.
As was projected by UNECE, the traffic of heavy-duty vehicles through the Moscow – Minsk – Warsaw – Berlin corridor would average 16,000 thousand units per day.
According to estimates, conversion of this traffic to CNG alone will result in the annual saving of more than 1 million liters of petroleum fuel and fuel costs reduction of up to EUR 313 million, as well as lowered air and soil pollution in this corridor by 55 per cent.
In total, at the Russian sections of the corridors the emissions reduction may reach 68.6 thousand tons between Moscow and Russia-Finland border and 39.9 thousand tons between Moscow and Russia-Belarus border.
In the aim of promoting natural gas utilization in motor vehicles the Saint Petersburg – Veliky Novgorod – Tver – Moscow (720 kilometers) vehicle rally was held in autumn 2008. Domestic and foreign NGVs took part in the rally.
The event was initiated by Gazprom and the Russian National Gas Vehicle Association (NGVRUS).
During stops in cities and towns workshops on gas utilization as a motor fuel were arranged with the engagement of local authorities' heads, representatives from automobile enterprises and experts concerned.
The final ceremony took place on September 22, the opening day of the II International Scientific Conference “Gas into Engines – 2008”.
The advantages of natural gas utilization as a motor fuel are available in the highway, river, railroad and air transports.
Natural gas utilization in motors is associated with:
- clean air in cities and towns;
- a way to the real reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Russian Energy Strategy stipulates that by 2010 gaseous fuels will annually replace up to 5 million tons of petroleum products by 2010 and up to 10–12 million tons by 2020.