Azerbaijan to use Euro-3 standard from 2014
By Nazrin Gadimova
Azerbaijan's State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents has presented to the government proposals on a transition to the Euro-3 standard, which controls the content of harmful substances in the exhaust gases of vehicles running on diesel and petrol engines, as well as the quality of fuel used in the country, an official of the Committee said on October 14.
Namig Tagiyev, who heads the Committee's Standards and Technical Regulations Department, told reporters that currently, the mechanism of the Euro-3 standard application in Azerbaijan is under consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers. A relevant decision is expected in the coming days.
"Beginning from January of the next year, the Euro-3 standard will come into force and in subsequent years a phased implementation of the Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards will begin," Tagiyev said.
Each transition to the next Euro standard requires approximately $1 billion.
Currently, the Euro-3 standard applies to vehicles and their spare parts in Azerbaijan, as well as to the fuel produced in the country.
The state energy company SOCAR is ready for using the Euro-3 standard. Earlier, SOCAR Vice President David Mammadov said that gasoline production in accordance with the Euro-3 standard is planned for 2014, when the reconstruction of existing refineries is completed.
Further upgrade of the fuel quality up to the Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards will be possible after SOCAR commissions a new oil and gas processing petrochemical complex, which is planned to be constructed in the Garadagh district of the capital Baku.
The new AZS 636-2012 "Car resources. Environmental classes" standard, which envisions introduction of the Euro-3 standard for automobile emissions of harmful substances, went into effect on August 1, 2012.