Page 4 - AsiaElec Week 44

AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec

Russia talks up exporting

hydrogen to Japan

Russia aims to export hydrogen to Japan as they both join
the global race to decarbonise, writes Richard Lockhart

JAPAN RUSSIA aims to begin selling hydrogen to Japan Kawasaki Heavy Industries were currently car-
and then other Asian buyers as the country pur- rying out a feasibility study, to be completed by
WHAT: sues a policy of energy diversification. the end of 2021, for a pilot programme of ship-
Russia aims to export Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel ping hydrogen from Russia to Japan.
2mn tonnes per year Sorokin recently told Japan’s Nikkei that Rus- Sorokin also hinted at possible tie-ups with
of hydrogen by 2035, sia aims to export 2mn tonnes per year (tpy) of Japanese trading houses.
including to Japan hydrogen by 2035. In the past few years, Kawasaki Heavy has
He said that Russia was already holding nego- invested heavily in hydrogen technology and
WHY: tiations on hydrogen exports with the Japanese last December built a vessel to transport lique-
Russia wants to join government, as well as Kawasaki Heavy Indus- fied hydrogen from Australia to Japan.
the global move to tries and other Japanese companies.
decarbonise At home, Russia’s current hydrogen produc- Reducing emissions
tion is used by the industrial sector, but the aim is Japan regards hydrogen as one of a number of
WHAT NEXT: to export an initial 200,000 tpy by 2024, increas- tools to reduce emissions and to combat climate
Russia’s greatest ing to 2mn tpy by 2035. change.
challenges are finding Sorokin said that Russia had great poten- The Japanese government said at the end of
cheaper blue hydrogen tial in the commercialisation of hydrogen and October that it aimed to reduce greenhouse gas
production technology the country would try different production (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050.
and developing cost- methods. This follows on from China, while South
effective transport Sorokin said that he hoped that Russia and Korea also last week announced its net-zero
Japan would soon sign a bilateral co-operation commitment for 2050.
agreement on hydrogen. Japan has been criticised for its heavy use of
Meanwhile, a Rosatom spokesperson told coal-fired power generation and is the only G7
Nikkei that a Rosatom unit, Japan’s Ministry nation still building coal plants at home.
of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Meeting the net-zero target by 2050 will be

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