OREANDA-NEWS. Saint Petersburg hosted a meeting between Viktor Zubkov Chairman of the Management Committee and Director General of Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo and Georgy Poltavchenko, Governor of Saint Petersburg. The meeting was dedicated to the cooperation prospects as part of the expanded use of NGV fuel.

In particular, a Gasification Plan will be prepared for public transport, municipal and specialty vehicles of the city for 2013 to 2020.

Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo and the Saint Petersburg Government will elaborate a joint program for the expanded use of NGV fuel. The document will require the company to develop the CNG filling stations network. The Saint Petersburg Government, in its turn, will provide favorable conditions to expand the use of NGV fuel, particularly, gasification of motor vehicles in municipal organizations and in companies implementing state orders.

The project on buses conversion to NGV fuel will be implemented on the basis of bus depots in Khrustalnaya and Gusarskaya Streets. The sites were chosen with regard to the urgency of eco-friendly transport introduction: one bus depot is located in the city center, the other one – in the suburb of Saint Petersburg included into the list of UNESCO heritage sites.

In addition, it is planned to use budget funds to purchase gas-powered buses for bus depot No.7 of Passazhiravtotrans situated in the Moscow district.
Background

Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo is Gazprom's special-purpose subsidiary set up in 2012 with a view to improve the efficiency of Gazprom's strategy on the NVG market development.

Saint Petersburg is included into the list of Russian constituents where Gazprom's projects on motor vehicles conversion to NGV fuel are to be implemented. Over 70 per cent of the city population use public transport. In the meantime, the increase in fuel prices is one of the major factors providing for the growth of travel costs. Moreover, motor vehicles running on conventional types of fuel are the main source of air pollution in big cities. Unfavorable environmental conditions have a negative effect on public health and causes damage to architectural monuments.