MOSCOW, 19 August (BelTA) – A Palesse GS4118K harvester made by OAO Gomselmash is being tested in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation, the press service of the Embassy of Belarus in Russia told BelTA.
The harvester uses compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel. Fields of the agricultural enterprise Sovkhoz Alekseyevsky in Ufa District have been chosen as the testing ground. The Belarusian harvester is used to gather winter wheat.
A seminar on using natural gas as fuel for agricultural purposes was arranged prior to the field trials. The seminar was organized by the Agriculture Ministry of Bashkortostan. Representatives of the ministry, the head of the Belarusian embassy's branch in Ufa Piotr Baltrukovich, representatives of the Belarusian agricultural machinery manufacturer Gomselmash, representatives of the companies Gazpromtransgaz Ufa and Gazprom Gas-Engine Fuel, representatives of research organizations, specialists of agricultural enterprises, and farmers discussed prospects of using gas-engine machines in agriculture. It was noted that fuel economy is the key advantage of the Palesse GS4118K harvester. While diesel fuel costs about RUB50 per liter, the methane that the harvester uses costs RUB16. Since gas consumption is higher, it results in fuel economy as high as 50%. Farming enterprises with large fields may save dozens of millions of Russian rubles as a result.
