The Russian government may approve the concept of hydrogen energy development in 1-2 months
The Russian government is discussing a concept for the development of hydrogen energy in Russia and may approve it in the next one or two months. This was stated by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak at the session "Decarbonization trend - how the world will change" in the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Novak noted that in October 2020 the Cabinet of Ministers approved a roadmap for the development of hydrogen energy in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024. “A concept for the development of hydrogen energy has also been prepared. It is already in the government, a discussion is underway. And I think that in the next month or two we will have to start its approval”, he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister also added that the government sets several tasks for itself in the development of hydrogen energy. So, Novak called the first task the creation of an export-oriented hydrogen production and obtaining a certain niche in world markets. “We believe that we could fill about 20% of the hydrogen trade global markets. This is approximately the level that we currently occupy in the gas trade and in the oil trade, that is, to diversify our energy in the direction of new energy, namely hydrogen, ”he explained.
In addition, the Cabinet considers as important to develop and bring advanced hydrogen technologies to the domestic market, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed. “Basically, these are technologies for both production and large-scale storage and transportation of hydrogen”, he continued.
As the third direction in the development of this area, Novak noted the expansion of hydrogen consumption in transport, housing and communal services and energy.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the most promising Russian regions for the development of hydrogen energy are the Far East, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, which has large reserves of natural gas, as well as the southern territories of the country rich in solar insolation.