MOSCOW. Nov 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Experts estimate the Russian- Belarussian program of designing environment-friendly trucks at RUB35bn (USD1.1bn), Russian Deputy Minister of Industry, Science and Technologies Sergei Mitin said on Wednesday.
"The program of diesel automobile building development for a period of up to 2008 provides for designing Russian-Belarussian trucks that will meet Euro-3 and Euro-4 requirements. RUB35bn is to be spent on that," Mitin told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The BelRusAuto interstate financial and industrial group was set up to implement the program, he noted. The group comprises the Yaroslavl engine plant, Yaroslavl fuel and diesel equipment plants, Tutayevo engine plant in the Yaroslavl region, Minsk and Mogilev automobile plant, NAMI federal state-owned unitary enterprise in Moscow, Ural automobile plant in the town of Miass in the Chelyabinsk region, and a series of other defense industry enterprises of Russia and Belarus.
The program provides for designing diesel engines that will meet Euro-3 requirements by 2004 and those that would meet Euro-4 requirements by 2006. This meets the deadlines of European nations that are toughening requirements to truck building.
Speaking about sources of investments, Mitin noted that the budget of the Russian-Belarussian Union would provide RUB7.4bn (USD232.52m), enterprises themselves would raise RUB14.5bn (USD455.62m), and commercial banks would lend RUB11.5bn (USD361.35m). The rest of the funds will be raised from other sources.
Practical implementation of the program will start after it is cleared with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the Finance Ministries of Russia and Belarus and other regulating bodies, Mitin said.