Gazprom Neft has used the opportunity of the 2015 St Petersburg International Economic Forum to conclude agreements with the Stavropolsky Krai and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on cooperation in the supply of bitumen materials. The signing ceremonies were attended by Governor of the Stavropolsky Krai Vladimir Vladimirov, Acting Governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region Dmitry Kobylkin, and Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov.
These agreements envisage supplying the road construction companies of the Stavropolsky Krai and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug with both traditional and innovative bitumens, produced by Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials, operator of the Gazprom Neft bitumens business. The use of high-quality products meeting the climatic and usage demands of these two regions will extend the useful life of road coverings in Stavropol and Yamal.
A key area of cooperation will involve the construction of pilot sections of highways and roads using innovative polymer-modified bitumens produced by Gazprom Neft. The outcomes identified through monitoring these sections will be used for joint research and development activities, and for quality control of bitumen materials and bitumen—concrete (asphalt) coverings used throughout the regions.
The supply of bitumen materials to the Stavropolsky Krai and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region will be fulfilled through Gazprom Neft production facilities located in European Russia and the Siberian Federal District.
Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov commented: “The Gazprom Neft bitumens business already occupies a leading position on the domestic market in terms of the technologies used. In 2014 we began production of a polymer-modified bitumen unique to Russia, G-Way Styrelf, which significantly improves road durability and performance. Today we supply products to 43 regions throughout the country, many of which have seen the construction of pilot road and highway sections using road coverings that clearly demonstrate the benefits of using Gazprom Neft bitumens. I am confident that extending cooperation with the governments of the Stavropolsky Krai and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug will facilitate the construction of high-quality, durable world-class roads in these regions.”
Established in October 2014, Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials (Gazpromneft BM LLC) is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, specialising in the production and sale of bitumen products and leading the domestic market, achieving sales of 1.8 million tonnes of bitumen materials in 2014.
The company’s key production facilities are based in the Moscow, Omsk, Yaroslavl and Ryazan Oblasts, as well as in Serbia and Kazakhstan. The company produces road, construction and roofing bitumens, as well as polymer-modified bitumens and binders (specifically G-Way Styrelf), and a range of emulsions and fillers. G-Way Styrelf is a polymer-modified bitumen (PMG) produced by Gazprom Neft, a key element of which involves the addition of a special binding agent (PAXL) which results in additional bonding at the molecular level, meaning road surfaces are built with bitumens far more resistant to cracking and fracturing, even under significant traffic loads and under widely ranging temperatures. The useful life of such roads is increased two-fold in comparison with those surfaced with traditional bitumens.
