Three pillars of friendship between Tatarstan and Gazprom: new technologies, NGV fuel and LNG
The trade turnover between the enterprises of the republic and Gazprom PJSC has increased to 104,5 billion over 5 years
Joint digital projects, import substitution, infrastructure development for a wider switch to NGV fuel and the implementation of a pilot project for the creation of river passenger vessels operating on LNG were discussed in Innopolis at the meeting “On promising areas of cooperation between Gazprom and enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan” on 15 October. Read the details of the meeting chaired by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, which was attended by Deputy Chairman of the board of Gazprom PJSC Vitaly Markelov, in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
Everything for Gazprom
Prior to the meeting, Rustam Minnikhanov and Vitaly Markelov together with other participants of the meeting visited the exposition of NGV samples placed in front of the university — from cars to agricultural machines. The special attention of the visitors was attracted by MTZ tractors, which are produced by the plant (Minsk Tractor Works) in Yelabuga district.
The exposition also included the mobile compressor unit of modular type with a gas turbine drive, which is designed for pumping natural gas and is used in the production of repair works on main gas pipelines.
In the hall of the university, Rustam Minnikhanov and Vitaly Markelov were presented the second exhibition — of innovative and import-substituting technologies developed in Tatarstan for the needs of Gazprom PJSC. Among them is the cloud 4D-geoinformation platform Digital Model of RT for monitoring the territories, which is interesting to gas companies in terms of the possibility to monitor the condition of pipelines and protected areas and building 3D models of fields. Another project of Innopolis for Gazprom is the information platform for integrated geomechanical modelling — this completely domestic development allows to exclude leakage of data on fields.
The project of the intelligence system of technical diagnostics support of technological pipelines developed in Innopolis will allow Gazprom to receive more complete data on gas pipelines, to provide more effective diagnostics and repair.
To excursion — on LNG
The “excursion” finished near the stand of Zelenodolsk Shipyard, where Rustam Minnikhanov and Vitaly Markelov signed the plan of action for the implementation of the pilot project for the use of river vessels operating on liquefied natural gas on tourist routes of the Republic of Tatarstan. The use of liquefied gas will provide not only a 20 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, but also significantly reduce — more than 50 per cent (from 0,62 rubles to 0,28 rubles) — the unit cost of transportation.
The pilot project provides for the construction of vessels with a capacity of 150 people with a range of navigation on fuel reserves of at least 250 km, which can be operated on excursion routes to Sviyazhsk, Bolgar and other tourist routes of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The cooperation of leaders
“Throughout our history, Gazprom has been our strategic partner, we are the largest consumer of gas, the largest supplier of the gas industry,” said the president of Tatarstan, opening the meeting. “The trade turnover grow annually.”
Rustam Minnikhanov said that over the past 5 years the trade turnover between the enterprises of Tatarstan and Gazprom PJSC has grown from 73 billion rubles to 104,5 billion rubles and noted the “accurate work” of Gazprom Transgaz Kazan PLC and its role as one of the largest taxpayers to the budget of the republic.
“We have set a more ambitious task — to bring the annual sales of NGV fuel in the republic to 50 million cubic metres,” said the president of Tatarstan. He noted that Gazprom is the leader in the country in the use of import-substituting products, thereby “loading domestic science and enterprises” and that the republic is interested in the further development of cooperation with Gazprom PJSC. “Our next step is LNG, we are ready to adopt appropriate programmes. It is the river and agro-industrial areas, as well as ecology. It is no secret that NGV fuel is completely different emissions and different pressure on the environment.”
The president of Tatarstan also reminded that within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum an agreement was signed between Tatarstan and Gazprom PJSC on the construction of a liquefied natural gas complex and a network of LNG fuel stations on the territory of the republic, and at the International Gas Forum in St. Petersburg the project was further developed — they signed a road map.
Vitaly Markelov confirmed that Tatarstan is an important partner for Gazprom PJSC:
“Gas consumption has increased significantly in recent years. By this indicator, Tatarstan has become the third subject after Moscow and Moscow Oblast. Almost one hundred per cent gasification of the republic has become the result of the coordinated work of the leadership of Tatarstan and Gazprom PJSC.”
Also, Deputy Chairman of the board of Gazprom PJSC highlighted the positive experience of Tatarstan in the development of the network of gas filling stations and warmly spoke about the joint projects of the PJSC with Innopolis University and cooperation in the field of import substitution. According to Markelov, Gazprom PJSC has the highest percentage of domestic equipment among the companies in our country today — 99,7%.
Innopolis asks for support
In his speech at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan Roman Shaykhutdinov told about Innopolis University and proposed to expand cooperation of the IT university with the gas industry:
“I propose to consider the possibility of a virtual technology platform using augmented reality,” Roman Shaykhutdinov addressed Vitaly Markelov. “The initiative project on augmented reality, which we have shown [to you], was prepared proactively. We believe that the possibility of developing this platform in the future could play a positive role. We have prepared a corresponding appeal, we are asking to support following the results of this meeting.”
Also, the deputy prime minister also asked to support the joint project Big Data and the project implemented on the basis of a mobile filling station, which allows to exclude and analyze errors of personnel working with sophisticated equipment.
“We are ready to make applied projects in the oil and gas sector,” said Shaykhutdinov and reminded that a number of contracts of Gazprom PJSC with Innopolis University in the oil and gas sector have already been successfully implemented.
17 billion on import substitution
Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Kazan PLC Rustem Usmanov told about the introduction by the enterprise of the equipment of domestic production. He said that in 2019 it is planned to purchase [of domestic equipment] worth more than 17 billion rubles — instrumentation, electrical systems, etc.
A short discussion that broke out during the meeting has shown how topical it is: participants reminded how brand new Austrian LMF compressors were forcibly shut down at Gazprom within anti-Russian sanctions via satellite.
Usmanov expressed hope for state support and compensation from the federal budget of the costs associated with further import substitution at Gazprom's facilities.
“Tatarstan enterprises are ready to offer the market the whole range of heavy gas-engine equipment, from trucks and buses to agricultural and municipal vehicles,” Rustem Usmanov outlined another prospect of cooperation. “The republic is a pilot region for the switchover of vehicles on NGV fuel and has a developed network of gas filling stations, and today this is the region that has a serious potential for annual growth in the volume of sales of NGV fuel. In comparison with 2018, we forecast up to 30 per cent increase in the volume of sales of CNG (compressed and liquefied natural gas) by the end of 2019.”
The more gas stations — the better
Oleg Melekhin, the director general of Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo PLC, reported on the progress of work on the development of gas engine fuel infrastructure in Tatarstan. He said that there are 19 gas filling facilities in Tatarstan, 18 of which belong to the company he runs (17 are working, 1 object is mothballed):
“The total capacity of the NKS is 140 million cubic metres of natural gas per year. The total volume of natural gas sales for the 9 months of 2019 is 35 million cubic metres of natural gas, the loading of stations is 32 per cent. In total, we plan to sell almost 47 million cubic metres of gas in the republic in 2019.”
By 2023, Melekhin says, according to the republican state programme, the switchover of 8,000 units of vehicles on NGV fuel and the purchase of 3,807 units of equipment running on gas is provided. More than 1 billion rubles have already been allocated from the regional budget for these purposes, and the total number of gas-engine equipment in the Republic of Tatarstan is now 6,309 units.
“The investment programme of Gazprom Gazomotornoye Toplivo for the year 2019 provides for investments in the amount of 119 million rubles for the construction of facilities in Zainsk, Almetyevsk and Nurlat,” said Melekhin. “The construction of additional filling facilities in the major regional centres of the republic — Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk — is the most urgent from the point of view of the development of the gas engine fuel market. Kazan is considering the possibility of building filling facilities on Vasilchenko Street, Adoratsky Street and Siberian Trakt. Besides, we are working on the possibility of building gas filling stations at the filling stations of Irbis company on M7 highway.”
Also, Oleg Melekhin asked the participants of the meeting to provide preferences for the carriers which have switched on gas motor fuel when passing of competitive procedures by them.
