Russia: Gazprom, Volga Bus Enter Deal to Develop Gas-Powered Buses

Last Week in the town of Volzhsky in accordance with the instruction of Viktor Zubkov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors, Gazprom and Volga Bus entered into an Agreement on the use of natural gas as a motor fuel.

The document was signed by Valery Golubev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Alexey Bakulin, Director General of Volga Bus.

According to the Agreement, the main objectives of the cooperation between Gazprom and Volga Bus are the creation and implementation of a full range of modern natural gas powered buses as well as the formation of a favorable environment for developing the natural gas vehicle market in Russia. In addition, the parties agreed to jointly elaborate the relevant proposals for the federal and regional authorities.

According to the document, Volga Bus will organize the production of CNG buses, the service infrastructure, and the system of professional training and retraining of maintenance staff. The company will also coordinate the conversion of the production and technical base of organizations that purchase gas powered buses.

In its turn, Gazprom will arrange the construction of CNG infrastructure facilities in the areas where passenger vehicles are located in a space-saving manner and will organize testing of gas powered buses on the basis of the Company’s subsidiaries. Acquiring buses for these companies, Gazprom will consider possibilities to buy the CNG buses manufactured by Volga Bus.

[mappress]

LNG World News Staff, December 5, 2011