Russian Gov’t approved the Concept for the Development of Hydrogen Energy

The Government of the Russian Federation has approved the Concept for the Development of Hydrogen Energy. The order No. 2162-r was signed on August 5, 2021, the government press office said.

The Concept is focused on unlocking Russia’s potential in the field of production, use and export of hydrogen with the goal of joining leaders in this industry.

Among the strategic initiatives presented in the document are the launch of pilot projects for the production of low-carbon hydrogen, the creation of consortia for the production of equipment and components, the formation of infrastructure for the hydrogen storage and transportation.

It also provides for the creation of at least three territorial production clusters. North-West will specialize in the export of hydrogen to European countries and the implementation of measures to reduce the carbon footprint of export-oriented enterprises. Eastern cluster will supply hydrogen to Asian countries and develop hydrogen infrastructure in the field of transport and energy. The Arctic cluster will provide a low-carbon power supply to the Russian Arctic.

The document lists the priority technologies required for the development of the industry. In particular, it concerns the production of hydrogen using steam reforming of methane and coal gasification, capturing CO2, the creation of hydrogen powered propulsion, special filling stations, storage systems and transportation of hydrogen in liquefied form.

An additional incentive for the introduction of these technologies will be government support measures. Representatives of the industry will have access to special investment contracts, subsidies for the manufacture of pilot batches of products, compensation to cover the R&D costs.

The implementation of the concept includes several phases.

“The first one is designed for the next three and a half years. It involves the creation of specialized clusters and the implementation of pilot projects for the production and export of hydrogen, as well as the use of hydrogen energy sources in the domestic market,” Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting August 9.

At the next stages (until 2035 and 2050), it is planned to open large export-oriented production facilities, to switch to the serial application of hydrogen technologies in various sectors of the economy - from petrochemistry to housing and public utility sector.

Participants will talk about the progress of construction and use of LNG-powered ships and other alternative fuels during the IAA PortNews conference in Moscow at the end of October.