"Green", "yellow" and "blue": Russia will be able to export hydrogen for every taste
The ambitious plans of the European Union, the United States and China in just 3-4 decades to completely abandon the use of fossil fuels have become a serious challenge for the Russian economics... More than a third of our federal budget is formed from foreign exchange earnings from the export of hydrocarbons. But that's not all: the European Union, and after it other leading powers, intend to close their domestic market from products that have a high "carbon footprint" in their production, which will also hit domestic exporters. How can Moscow respond to this?
The plans of the EU, China and the United States for complete “decarbonization” in the foreseeable future undoubtedly caused a lot of unpleasant emotions in the Russian leadership, as they break the existing socio-economic model based on the export of fossil hydrocarbons. However, our country has all the chances to integrate into the "green economy" of the 21st and 22nd centuries, becoming one of the world leaders, as Mr. Chubais recently pointedly spoke about. Russia already has everything necessary for this. So, the most environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel is considered as a substitute for today's coal, oil and even natural gas. By 2035, Moscow claims to occupy at least 20% of the global hydrogen energy market, exporting from 2 to 7 million tons per year, and by 2050 - from 7,9 million tons to 33,4. If we take it to the maximum, then the income from the sale of hydrogen fuel abroad can reach $ 100,2 billion a year. These are the plans announced by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation until 2050. But why such confidence and such figures, if we consider that the market for hydrogen energy as such has not yet taken place?
First you need to understand the terminology. Hydrogen can be very different depending on what raw material it is produced from and for what Technology... "Brown" hydrogen is released from coal, and "gray" - from methane, while emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere occur, which our Western partners are allegedly trying to combat. They don't need such hydrogen for free. The Europeans will be much more interested in hydrogen "green", "yellow" and "blue". The first is produced by electrolysis from ordinary water using renewable energy sources (wind turbines, solar panels, etc.), the second is also from water, but using nuclear energy, the last is from natural gas, but carbon dioxide does not enter the atmosphere , and is captured and converted into carbon using CCS technology (Carbon Capture and Sequestration, carbon capture and storage). Most of all, the leadership of the European Union, obsessed with environmental friendliness, is interested in "green" hydrogen, but its production costs several times more than "blue", therefore, in the European strategy, these two types of hydrogen should roughly divide the market in half.
Russia has all the necessary components for success in the new fuel market:
At first, our country has the entire range of natural resources - coal, natural gas, and water.
Secondly, we have modern nuclear energy, and there is great potential for the development of renewable energy. For example, endless wind farms are asking for the vast Russian expanses, and in the southern regions it is possible to build and operate solar power plants. The agricultural sector can become a driver for the development of biogas energy.
Thirdly, it is possible to use existing gas transmission networks and other infrastructure for the export of hydrogen. Thus, in the future, it will be possible to use the Nord Stream-2 pipeline for hydrogen supplies, having carried out its preliminary modernization. It is also possible to transport hydrogen by sea in a liquefied form.
Russia will indeed be able to export any kind of hydrogen fuel, for every taste of the most picky customer: what is "green", what is "blue", what is "yellow", what is "gray". It sounds fantastic, but certain contours of the energy of the future in our country have already begun to take shape.
In particular, the state corporation "Rosatom" is preparing a draft feasibility study for hydrogen supplies to Japan. Since it will be produced by electrolysis, it is obvious that we are talking about "yellow" hydrogen. It is planned to build a plant to liquefy this gas in the Sakhalin region, which will have to provide up to 40% of Tokyo's needs for this type of fuel. It turns out that Rosatom intends to diversify the types of its economic activities. Another Russian state corporation, Gazprom, plans to conquer the hydrogen markets of China, South Korea and Japan by supplying them with “blue” hydrogen produced in the Far East by the steam reforming of methane to ensure the capture and subsequent storage of carbon dioxide. Also, the private company NOVATEK has set its sights on the production of "blue" hydrogen using technologies for capturing and storing CO2.
Presumably, the government is not going to limit itself to these three players only. To increase production volumes and develop modern hydrogen technologies, four economic clusters will be created in Russia - North-West, East, Arctic and South. Program participants will receive special investment contracts, as well as the right to reimbursement of part of the costs. Apparently, the federal center is very serious not to be left behind, which means that the state will treat hydrogen energy with all due attention.
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