Introduction of Euro-4 in Kazakhstan was timely: Transport Ministry

Euro-4 cars filled with Euro-2 petrol will still improve the ecological situation in Kazakhstan, deputy director of Transport Department of Kazakhstan Ministry of Transport and Communications Olzhas Sutemgenov told Tengrinews.kz. The ecological standard Euro-4 was introduced as a requirement for foreign cars imported to Kazakhstan on July 1, 2013. Import (registration) of the cars manufactured before 2005 and complying with Euro-3 standard or lower was banned. Meanwhile, according to Kazakhstan Oil and Gas Ministry, local refineries will start producing Euro-4 petrol only in 2016. Until that time, Kazakhstan will continue producing petrol complying with Euro-2 standard. According to the speaker, the decision to apply the Euro-4 standard to the cars was made timely and is already starting yielding results and improving the ecological situation in the country. Even if a Euro-4 car is filled with Euro-2 petrol, the exhausts still have less poisonous substances. Those worried about their cars may fill them with foreign petrol, the expert suggested. According to him, Euro-4 petrol supplied from Russia constitutes almost 40 percent of Kazakhstan’s fuel market. The Ministry’s representative reminded that the decision on introduction of Euro-4 standard was made not only for ecological reasons but also to counter the flow of used cars from other countries into Kazakhstan. Euro-4 is expected to help keep the country’s car fleet up to date and support local producers of cars. “There are around 4.1 million cars in Kazakhstan. 75 percent of them are over 12 years old, i.e. they are below the standard: Euro-3, Euro-2, Euro-1 and even Euro 0, if there is such,” Sutemgenov said. According to him, Euro-4 standard will come in effect for Kazakhstan car plants in January 2014. The speaker assured that two years without locally-produced Euro-4 petrol would not be a big problem issue for them. “Locally-produced Euro-4 cars will drive both on locally-made and exported fuel. This will not undermine their technical characteristics,” Sutemgenov said. He supposes that by 2016, when Kazakhstan refineries start producing Euro-4 petrol, the car market in the country will be quite up to date. Earlier Sergei Smirnov, an oil and gas expert with the Institute for Political Solutions, tagged the decision to ban imports of cars short of Euro-4 emission standards illogical. “If one drives a car requiring Euro-4 petrol, the engine will be damaged by the locally-produced petrol. Besides, all the harmful substances such as benzene and sulfur that are inherent to Euro-2 petrol will still be emitted into the atmosphere. Thus, the ban on car imports will have no environmental effect. They put the cart before the horse,” Mr. Smirnov said. Head of Kazakhstan Independent Car Union Eduard Edokov earlier expressed a similar opinion. According to him, the situation with Euro-4 car standard was turned into a profanation. “Introducing this standard prior to giving us, the consumers, the fuel complying with Euro-4 standard is absurd. It is the same as saying: first you learn to swim in the pool and then we will pour some water there,” Edokov said. By Vladimir Prokopenko