The tour over the exhibition at the 11th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum was participated by Vitaly Markekov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee at Gazprom PJSC, and Alexander Dyukov, CEO and Chairman of the Management Committee of Gazprom Neft PJSC, as well as Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, and directors and top managers of the major Russian oil & gas and mechanical engineering companies.
IMPORT SUBSTITUTION IN THE GAS INDUSTRY – the corporate exposition – was stop 1 of the tour.
Titan Barrikady – a Volgograd-based federal scientific production center – presented the hydraulic fracture set, intended for mining of hard-to-recover oil and gas reserves. It was designed on the order of Gazprom Neft. The history of this unique set’s creation and its advantages were explained to heads of the top Russian oil and gas companies by Yuri Solomonov, First Deputy CEO and Senior Engineer of the Moscow Thermal Engineering Institute Corporation, which includes the Volgograd entity, too.
Evgeny Pronin, Gas Engine Vehicles Director at KAMAZ PJSC presented the AWD crew bus KAMAZ 6250, specially designed for Gazprom. The premier features unique modern design and can be completed with any internal combustion engine capable of 290 hp (diesel, LNG, or CNG), plus a six-speed automatic gearbox. The bus body is reinforced with a steel tube frame and has a composite coating. Its front has a look of KAMAZ trucks from the latests – the 5th – generation. The bus seats 32 passengers, its passenger compartment equipped with comfortable seats and an air conditioning unit. Vitaly Markelov and Alexander Dyukov examined the passenger compartment and the driver’s cabin and highly appreciated this premier from Russian mechanic engineers.
From here, the delegation proceeded to another project of the Russian mechanic engineering industry, which was the 1st home-made offshore helicopter Mi 171AZ designed by engineers and structural engineers of Russian Helicopters Holding. The day before, the helicopter successfully completed its first long-distance inter-city run – from the site of the Mille and Kamov National Helicopter Industry Center in the Moscow suburbs. It traveled to ExpoForum in St. Petersburg. Sergey Kayumov, Senior Structural Engineer of the new Mi 171AZ gave a tour at the helicopter. He explained that the new vehicle is intended for passenger travel, as well as search and rescue missions. It can seat up to 24 people and has an emergency water landing system, which ensures its staying afloat in five-points storms. The air range of the premier Mi 171AZ reaches 1 thousand kilometers.
Then, the delegation’s eye was caught by something extraordinary – a full-scale model of the land remote sensing satellite. As Dmitry Sevastyanov, CEO of Gazprom Space Systems, explained it was designed by the company on their own. He insisted that this was the first satellite in Russia and in the world in general capable of methane detection satellite with a resolution of 50 cm. With it, gas companies will be able to reliably control their infrastructures and instantly discover any unauthorized methane leaks. The satellite is going to be launched in 2026.
After that, Vitaly Markelov and Rustam Minnikhanov took part in several online events, following launching of the new infrastructural utilities – vehicle gas filling stations and low capacity LNG complexes.
The first Kalmykian LNG vehicle filling station was opened at the stand of Gazprom Gas-Engine Fuel. The station was commissioned into operation in Elista, the capital of the region. ‘We are happy to welcome the Republic of Kalmykia in our gas engine network,’ said Vitaly Markelov, greeting the audience. Batu Khasikov, Head of Kalmykia, thanked Gazprom for their project that meant so much for his region and noticed that he sees switching to the new fuel type, which is LNG, a significant milestone for Kalmykia. ‘Our region is a transit one, and enhancement of the vehicle fueling procedures must become one of the drivers for Kalmykian economy development,’ Basu Khasikov outlined. He added that in 2023 two more vehicle gas fueling stations are going to be built.
Further, Vitaly Markelov and Rustam Minnikhanov pushed the nominal start buttons to launch into action two low-capacity natural gas liquefaction complexes in Tatarstan. The first one of them – Sadilovo Complex in the Vysokogorsky District was implemented by Gazprom LNG Technologies LLC. Currently, its capacity is 1.5 tons of LNG per hour, or 12 thous. tons of LNG a year, but the company intends to increase its output capacity further. ‘This project is important for the entire Republic, as it will promote economical growth and environmental improvement,’ Rustam Minnikhanov emphasized. ‘Transport companies need more LNG fueling stations. Switching to clean fuel matters in terms of economy and the environment, but it also makes drivers’ jobs safer,’ Vitaly Markelov said. In 2022-2023, Tatarstan is going to get five more vehicle gas filing stations.
Another low capacity complex was opened by Vitaly Markelov and Rustam Minnikhanov in the Tyulyachinsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan. Output capacity of this facility is the same as at Sadilovo Complex, although this project was initiated by TopGaz LLC. Together with the new LNG plant, the first cryo vehicle fueling station was opened in Naberezhnye Chelny. ‘Let it be our first step towards gas engine fuel,’ – Rustam Minnikhanov said.
During their tour, the officials were presented several transport premiers, too. Gazpromtrans demonstrated a model of their new gas engine switching engine TEMG1. Its features are two gas piston engines with the total capacity of 1.12 thous. hp and the modular carriage, as well as the system for automatic engine operation control. Such a locomotive facility emits 15.7 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere a year, which is half as much as a diesel loco, discharging 28 tons of CO2 annually. Almaz Antey brought the platform of their new ENEVA hybrid crossover to SPIGF 2022 – it can run both on electric power and LNG.
Finishing the tour of the exhibition, Vitaly Markelov greeted the participants of the Gas into Engines 2022 rally of gas engine vehicles. The journey started on August 2 in Vladivostok, and in about a month the vehicles covered 10 thousand kilometers using liquefied natural gas as fuel.
Finally, Vitaly Markelov attended the stand of Gazprom’s subsidiary – Gazprom transgaz Tomsk. There, he considered the results of the company’s many years of successful operation, studied the residential house model assembled at the stand, which symbolized the company’s progress and its mission – they work to improve the living standards of people in the region. Mr. Markelov wished both the directors and regular employees of Gazprom transgaz Tomsk further effective proceedings.