Pivot to ‘green’: Russian gas & nuclear energy giants Gazprom and Rosatom to start producing ‘clean’ hydrogen

Russia’s move away from hydrocarbons took another step forward this week, as the country’s Ministry of Energy announced a roadmap to start producing clean hydrogen by 2024.

Natural gas giant Gazprom – the largest company in Russia – and state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom were both named in a federal plan focused on developing clean hydrogen.

With much of the world planning to pivot away from oil and gas in the near future, the country’s government is looking ahead to a more diversified energy sector. The international ‘green’ trend is a significant threat to the Russian economy, which is at present largely dependent on the export of oil, gas, and coal. Starting from 2021, the government intends to build on the country’s reputation as a hydrogen supplier, aiming to make exports of the world’s most abundant gas a large part of its energy sector.

According to the document published by the Ministry of Energy, Gazprom will begin to develop and test a methane-hydrogen turbine in 2021, with a view to using clean energy to power various modes of transport.

Other than Gazprom and Rosatom, Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer Novatek also announced its interest in entering the hydrogen market, with a company spokesman telling Russian newspaper RBC that “hydrogen will play a significant role in the future energy balance.”

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