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FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM
Russia eyes role in hydrogen revolution
Russia is well positioned to capitalise on the expanded use of hydrogen, as long as it can prepare in time
RUSSIA
WHAT:
Russia plans to draw up a programme for hydrogen development.
WHY:
Russia could bene t greatly if the EU opts for hydrogen as a key means of decarbonising economies.
WHAT NEXT:
Russian efforts could
be in vain if hydrogen demand does not take off, but it also risks a lot from failing to act.
RUSSIA’S energy ministry hosted talks between o cials and industry leaders on August 29 to discuss how the country can capitalise on what some experts have said is an impending hydro- gen revolution.
Hydrogen has been tipped as the fuel of the future for decades. But as pressure builds on governments across the world to clamp down on emissions and innovations in technology are made, policymakers and industry alike are looking more seriously at its development than ever before.
“Hydrogen has never enjoyed so much inter- national and cross-sectoral interest, even in the face of impressive recent progress in other low-carbon energy technologies, such as batter- ies and renewables,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) wrote in a report published in June.
Hydrogen’s draw as an energy source rests in the fact it can be produced from natural gas without generating additional emissions. Fur- thermore, existing gas upstream, midstream and downstream infrastructure can be repur- posed for its use – potentially making it cheaper than electri cation. Hydrogen can also play a crucial role in replacing more polluting fuels in the transport sector, where many countries are struggling to make even modest progress in slashing emissions.
is places Russia, as the world’s biggest gas producer and the number one supplier to the cli- mate-conscious nations of Europe, in a fortunate position.
A path forward
e energy ministry’s meeting was attended by representatives of various research centres, as well as Russia’s state gas supplier Gazprom, its leading petrochemical developer Sibur, nuclear rm Rosatom and tech company Rostec, Vedo- mosti reported this week.
“We discussed global trends and prospects for the use of hydrogen in the Russian economy, as well as the development of domestic hydro- gen energy technologies,” Deputy Minister Pavel Sorokin told the newspaper. “It was decided to make a programme for the development of hydrogen energy in Russia.”
The precise details of what was discussed were not disclosed. Although Vedomosti sources claimed this marked the rst time national pol- icy on hydrogen development had been dis- cussed in government at an expert level.
Hydrogen is already produced in Russia, but for use in oil re ning, the metallurgical indus- try and petrochemistry rather than as energy source. Citing experts, the energy ministry pre- dicted that the global market for hydrogen as a fuel could reach $164bn by 2040. Russia would
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 35 04•September•2019