OREANDA-NEWS. On 21 April 2009 was announced, that the Caravan was organized by Gazprom, VNIIGAZ, National Gas Vehicle Association (NGVRUS) and Gazprom transgaz Kuban. Light and heavy NGVs from various world leading manufacturers will take part in the Caravan. These manufacturers comprise: KaMAZ, Volkswagen Group Rus, Mercedes, Opel, GAZ Group, LIAZ, AvtoVAZ, PAGZ, etc. The Caravan will take place on April 20-24, 2009 on the route “Rostov-on-Don – Krasnodar – Novorossiysk – Sochi” with breaks for the III Don Oil & Gas Congress and the Session of Comission of RF Government.

The “Blue Corridor” Caravan participants were welcomed by V.A. Yazev, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the RF Federal Assembly, and O.E. Aksyutin, the Member of Gazprom’s Management Committee, Head of Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department. O.E. Aksyutin mentioned that “…The “Blue Corridor” Caravan is aimed at attracting attention of local administration, car manufacturers, heads of transport companies to natural gas as the cheapest, environmentally and technically safe and affordable hydrocarbon fuel”.

Gazprom, which initiated the “Blue Corridor” project, has developed and is coordinating the Targeted Integrated Program “Development of gas fueling network and NGV fleet for the period 2007-2015”. Gazprom has worked out the plan for the Program implementation, chosen the suppliers of gas fueling equipment and launched the construction of new infrastructure facilities. This year will see putting into operation seven new automobile gas fueling compressor stations (AGFCS). All this is promoting the development of the vehicle sector of CNG market all over the country and, in particular, in the Southern Federal District.

Valeriy Yazev, the president of the Russian Gas Society, believes that the social and professional impact, which the Caravan will create during its route and in the course of the III Don Oil & Gas Congress, the NGVRUS forum and the joint XIX Session of Commission of RF Government and Russian Gas Society, will provide an impetus to the development of the Targeted Integrated Program. He thinks that due to this event new motor transport and specialized enterprises, for which the growth of NGV fleet means significant reduction of fuel consumption and environmental stability, will become new advocates of CNG market development.

The history of VNIIGAZ-initiated “Blue Corridor” Caravans goes back to 1991, when the Caravan of 28 cars crossed the European part of the country and five more countries on the route “Rome – Bologna – Trieste – Vienna – Bratislava – Kosice – Stryi - Lviv – Kiev”. The total length of the route amounted to 3700km. Scientists, ecologists and testing teams driving ZiL, KamAZ, VAZ-2105 and 2106, GAZ-Volga, Fiat, Alfa-Romeo, Mercedes, Rover, Volkswagen, BMB, Karosa autobus and RAF minibus took part in the Caravan.

In the beginning of the XXI century the feasibility study on setting up the Corridor on the route “Helsinki – St. Petersburg – Moscow” was completed. The first stage of this project was completed and put into operation in September 2008 within the frames of the Caravan of NGVs from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The Caravan-2008 included heavy vehicles – KamaAZ, GAZ, LIAZ and GolAZ autobuses – and light vehicles – Volkswagen, VAZ (Lada Priora), Opel, NefAZ, Iran Khodro. Specialists-ecologists carried out the scientific program during the Caravan. The Caravan ceremonially finished on September 22 – the start date of the International Scientific Conference "Gas into engines 2008".