Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors Director General of Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo and top managers of several large companies specializing in motor vehicle production and distribution – KAMAZ, VOLGABUS, MAN Truck & Bus Rus, Iveco Russia and STORK signed today Agreements of Cooperation.

Pursuant to the documents, the principle objectives of the cooperation between the parties are production and promotion of NGVs in all classes as well as creation of favorable conditions for the Russian NGV fuel market development.

The parties will cooperate in a wide range of areas, including the development and execution of programs aimed at creating, testing and promoting NGV equipment. In particular, they will organize R&D activities.

NGV equipment supplies will be coordinated with the program for constructing CNG filling stations. In parallel, the NGV maintenance infrastructure will be created. Interactions with customers will be ensured to resolve possible complaints.

The parties will create a system of vocational training and retraining for technical staff needed to operate and maintain the NGV equipment. Moreover, proposals for legislative and executive authorities both at regional and federal levels will be elaborated on how to create favorable conditions for large-scale use of NGVs.

While constructing the NGV infrastructure, Gazprom will take into consideration places with the greatest number of NGVs and will contribute to testing new types of NGV equipment.

Car makers will ensure NGV production and, jointly with distributors, will adopt the process infrastructure of the companies that use gas-driven equipment.

“Today we have signed the agreements that will promote the release of cutting-edge NGVs. The broader the lineup of these vehicles is and the more advanced the maintenance and filling infrastructure is, the sooner they will find their customers.

In order to translate this into life, we will work out a specific action plan for each agreement and will carefully monitor its implementation.

Expanding the use of NGV fuel is an important national objective. It will help considerably reduce fuel costs in the key sectors of the economy, cut down the budget expenditures, create workplaces and, most importantly, significantly improve the environmental situation in big cities," said Viktor Zubkov.

Background

KAMAZ is the major Russian carmaker. KAMAZ comprises over 150 organizations in the Russian Federation, within and beyond CIS, including 12 large car making factories. Currently, the company is implementing the program for designing and manufacturing motor vehicles running on NGV fuel. Today KAMAZ is the only car manufacturer in Russia which has designed a gas motor of its own. In 2012 KAMAZ produced and sold 300 gas-driven vehicles and this year the company is planning to boost this figure to 1,000 units.

VOLGABUS designs and manufactures a full range of bus vehicles: small and medium class buses, suburban, intercity and tourist buses, as well as special-purpose models meant for the transportation of schoolchildren, disabled people, sports teams, etc.

MAN Truck & Bus Rus is one of the leading manufacturers of commercial trucks. The company produces a large variety of vehicles: light and medium duty trucks, super heavy duty trucks, as well as municipal and intercity buses.

Iveco Russia sells a wide range of Iveco commercial motor vehicles and provides their after sales maintenance. The company's partner network in Russia includes 48 authorized dealers.

STORK is the distributor of Chinese Zhengzhou Yutong Bus, the world's largest bus manufacturer. Currently, STORK offers an extensive product line of municipal, suburban and intercity buses.