The rally of gas-engine vehicles started along the Europe-China international transport route on 4 September in the Chinese city of Zhudong (Jiangsu Province). Almost two dozen trucks and cars, as well as buses running on liquefied (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) took part in it. Among the participants were cars of Russian manufacturers KAMAZ, GAZ Group, AVTOVAZ, UAZ, as well as RariTEK vehicles.

In 2018, the rally was named “Gas to Motors” and became the longest liquefied natural gas vehicle rally in the world. During 30 days, the convoy crossed 3 state borders, traveled through 19 regions and covered about 10 thousand kilometers. The ceremonial finish of the gas engine rally was held on 4 October in St. Petersburg as part of the 8th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.

“The rally is over, behind us are almost 10 thousand kilometers that took a month of driving. This is the longest run in the world, and it will enter the Guinness Book of Records, - informed the runners Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom PJSC. Gazprom is developing the gas engine direction in its work - this is one of the medium and long term priorities. And today we can see that gas engine technology is reliable, economical and environmentally friendly. The vehicles that took part in the race have prooven this to be a fact.”

Alexey Miller went on to say that such projects as the gas-engine corridor from Europe to China, the Silk Road rally, which the company supports, are a systematising factor and provide an incentive and pivot for Gazprom's work.

“By supporting such projects, we are giving a new impetus to the development of LNG technologies and gas engine technology in general,” - added Alexey Miller.

According to him, the main purpose of the race is to popularize the use of natural gas as a gas engine fuel, and also to determine the locations for the construction of gas filling infrastructure in Russia. So, on 30 September, in the Novgorod region, on the new M11 Moscow-St. Petersburg high-speed highway, a solemn ceremony was held to begin construction of Gazprom cryo-filling station with 14 such stations to be built along this route. The infrastructure being built in this section will become the most important part of the Europe-China route.

The rally was organized by the largest energy companies of Russia, Kazakhstan and China – Gazprom PJSC, National Company KazMunayGas JSC and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). One of the rally participants was the German company Uniper - a long-standing partner of Gazprom Group during Blue Corridor gas-engine rally on European roads.

“Congratulations to the drivers who traveled thousands of kilometers proving to everyone that liquefied natural gas is the fuel of the future. It is the tenth time that Uniper is taking part in the rally, and we are convinced that the future belongs to gas. In the case of Europe, natural gas is the only alternative to diesel fuel ," - says Uwe Fip, Senior Vice President of Uniper Global Commodities SE.

BACKGROUND

Blue Corridor is an annual international rally of vehicles that use natural gas as engine fuel. It has been held since 2008 with the support of Gazprom, the German company Uniper SE and the National Gas-Vehicle Association of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the rally is to demonstrate the environmental, technical and economic advantages of natural gas over traditional fuels, as well as the diversity of modern factory-built gas machinery.

Uniper SE is engaged in the production of electricity as well as the global energy trade.

Gazprom and Uniper SE carry out joint activities in the field of gas supply and transportation to foreign markets. They implement programs of scientific, technical and socio-cultural cooperation.