On Friday, March 25, a working meeting was held in St. Petersburg between Sergey Kogogin, Director General of KAMAZ PTC, and Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Board.
During the meeting, Sergey Kogogin and Alexey Miller signed two cooperation agreements between KAMAZ PTC and Gazprom PJSC. The documents are aimed at creating new models of automotive equipment, including gas-powered vehicles, and their controlled operation.
The parties agreed that KAMAZ would develop pilot models of motor transport adapted to their needs for the needs of Gazprom and its subsidiaries. The advanced technologies and digital solutions will be used, when creating new models.
The pilot samples will be tested in real-world conditions at Gazprom's production facilities. The company will determine the sites for testing, will assist KAMAZ in testing machines, participate in the approval of the results obtained.
To implement the agreements, the parties will develop a plan for synchronizing activities (roadmap) for the creation and purchase of automotive equipment.
KAMAZ PTC and PJSC Gazprom have been cooperating fruitfully for many years in the development of the gas engine fuel market in Russia. In particular, when determining promising sales markets, KAMAZ is guided by Gazprom's plans to expand the network of automotive gas-filling compressor stations. Gazprom is actively purchasing gas-powered vehicles from KAMAZ to upgrade its own fleet: 3.6 thousand units were purchased in 2014-2021.
In addition, Gazprom contributes to the expansion by KAMAZ of the line of cars powered by natural gas. Therefore, by order of Gazprom, special KAMAZ-5490 NEO mainline tractors running on liquefied natural gas were developed. They are designed for reliable transportation of isothermal containers with liquid helium from the Amur Gas Processing Plant.
"Having extensive experience and potential in the field of innovative transport development, KAMAZ joins forces with market leaders, major corporations, including our long–time partner Gazprom PJSC. We are ready to develop a course on creating eco-friendly transport for the regions of Russia, we are happy to offer our best practices, assisting our partner in implementing business projects, gaining new experience and expanding opportunities. The effectiveness of our cooperation with Gazprom has been tested by time, and I am confident in the success of our new joint projects," commented Sergey Kogogin.
"The documents signed today will further strengthen the successful partnership between Gazprom and KAMAZ. In addition, without a doubt, they will contribute to the development of the Russian automotive industry. KAMAZ vehicles have repeatedly proved their high reliability and efficiency in the most extreme conditions. Our gas KAMAZ has also proven itself well – a joint project with the KAMAZ-Master team, a multiple winner of prestigious rally raids," Alexey Miller said.
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Board, also held a meeting with the KAMAZ-Master sports team. Its triumphant victory at the Dakar-2022 rally marathon was celebrated – the crews of KAMAZ-master took the entire podium. Currently, the Russian team is preparing to participate in new competitions, including the Silk Road rally raid, which is scheduled for July 2022 and is held with the support of Gazprom. In 2022, the team launches a joint project with Gazprom to create sports trucks with hybrid and hydrogen power plants.