OREANDA-NEWS  Large Russian companies of the agro-industrial complex are considering the possibility of switching from diesel to gas, the Vedomosti newspaper writes.

"The possibility of switching from diesel to gas has already been considered for the Miratorg, Cherkizovo and Melkom truck fleets," the article says.

For example, Miratorg has already switched about 300 trucks from diesel fuel to gas, or 90% of those available for conversion, the publication points out. This year, the test operation of LNG equipment began. In total, the company's fleet includes more than 5,000 trucks, not including agricultural machinery and passenger vehicles.

In Cherkizovo, the fleet's transition to gas-diesel operation was planned in 2026, but has been suspended for now. According to the company, the transfer of one truck to gas-diesel mode costs more than 1 million rubles, and the full transition to gas - from 3.5 million rubles, the newspaper writes.

The Melkom group of companies, which is engaged in grain processing, flax farming and poultry farming, also studied the conversion of the cargo fleet and agricultural machinery fleet to gas-powered fuel. But they see prospects for its use only for new machines, Valery Buka, a member of the management board and deputy general director of the group, told the publication.

According to Ilya Bereznyuk, CEO of Agro and Food Communications, which is given in the material, switching to gas may be economically attractive for large agricultural holdings. According to his estimates, fuel costs range from 15 to 25% of the cost of crop production, and compressed natural gas costs farmers 2-2.5 times cheaper than diesel. With intensive operation, the cost of retrofitting machinery, such as tractors, can be recouped in less than three years.