By Yevgeny Mikhasev
The Belarusian Government has signed an agreement with Gazprom to run the country’s public and municipal transport on natural-gas-based motor fuel, as the First Deputy Prime Minister, Vladimir Semashko, explains. The move should save money, with Gazprom pledging to supply the fuel from Russia at no more than half the cost of diesel fuel, for ten years.
Even transferring the fuel used by a fifth of public and municipal transport will save $175m. Of course, necessary infrastructure needs to be created, including a network of filling and service stations: the first area of focus. Beltransgas operates about 30 auto-gas filling stations at present, located evenly countrywide, so will be expanding its network. Equipment to allow vehicles to run on the alternative fuel is being purchased from Russia, with a production factory to then open at a plant in Novogrudok which currently produces equipment for other types of fuel.
The Government has committed to making the transition in the shortest possible time. Russia has years of experience in this sphere, so the move should go smoothly. In addition, local production is planned for vehicles, including passenger cars, running on natural-gas-based motor fuel.