By June 1, 2021, the Russian government and Gazprom will investigate the possibilities of shipping hydrogen to Europe in the form of a methane-hydrogen combination using existing pipelines. The Russian Federation’s President, Vladimir Putin, issued the relevant command.
“The Russian Federation’s Government, in collaboration with the public joint-stock company “Gazprom,” and with the participation of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consider the possibility of exporting hydrogen to EU countries in a methane-hydrogen mixture via existing pipeline systems, as well as the recognition of such hydrogen in accordance with European Union taxonomy requirements,” according to the list of orders issued following the meeting.
By June 1, 2022, the report must be completed. Responsible are Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller.
In an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, Igor Yushkov, a top analyst of the National Energy Security Fund and lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, stated that first and foremost, Gazprom must tackle the problem of hydrogen production. “While hydrogen is generated in Russia and across the world, it is not intended for widespread use. It is required in metallurgy and other areas of the economy, although only in tiny quantities. As a result, first and foremost, the gas supply system must be adapted to meet the demands of Europe,” he stated.
“It is desirable to make hydrogen on an industrial scale where gas pipes begin, so that a methane-hydrogen combination may be created quickly.” To pump such a combination via Nord Stream 2, for example, a hydrogen generation facility must be installed near the pipeline’s entry. We should combine it with natural gas in the same location. Furthermore, if we are only mixing a small amount of hydrogen, there is no need to recycle the gas pipeline; however, if the proportion of hydrogen in the mixture reaches 10-20%, it will be necessary to recycle the gas pipeline in order to safely pump gas with a different chemical composition without damaging the pipes,” Igor Yushkov explained.
The expert emphasized Europe’s interest in the methane-hydrogen blend. “On the one hand, they require hydrogen to store surplus energy generated by renewable sources and to recover it, if necessary, through ecologically beneficial hydrogen combustion. They believe that in the early phases of transitioning away from oil and coal, they will run out of energy, so they will import hydrogen, which is a blend of methane and hydrogen. As a result, Gazprom is attempting to meet this challenge, stating that it is “ready to pump not methane, but a methane-hydrogen combination to Europe if there is a demand for this in the EU during the transition time,” according to the economist.
In the meanwhile, there is no hope for tomorrow. “Hydrogen is not used as a source of energy in any European country.” Although Siemens is actively working in this area and producing relevant equipment, European turbines are not yet driven by hydrogen gas mixtures. So far, these are only a few of the Europeans’ ambitions to transition to hydrogen and methane. In response to these plans, Russia asks, “How will we transport this hydrogen-methane combination to you?” As a result, Igor Yushkov concluded, “we must first figure out the sequence of modernization of the gas transportation system, which may not be required at first, in order to be ready to launch new projects when there is a physical need for a blend of hydrogen and methane in Europe.”
