During the month of October 2024, at the International Conference on Hydrogen Energy (IH2CON) that was held in Moscow, Russia made an announcement that attracted international attention, as much as this energy line that will never end, then A unique natural deposit has been found in its kindWith which you can consolidate your position as an energy power, but can this component save the planet?
The big frozen treasure in Russia
This is the company Gazprom -hydrogenthat has been looking for an objective since 2020: hydrogen. For which they had explored the Siberia area, but so far they had not had good results.
So what has changed? Konstantin RomanovGeneral manager of, announced that they found natural white hydrogen! In East -Siberia, where the first studies have already confirmed that this gas is present in Kovykta, in the Irkutsk region.
Although the hydrogen found is in low concentrations, almost 3%, the results indicate that they are in the Kovykta deposits. This finding is the key, because you can use it to investigate and understand the potential of this energy source.
But this is not just about any place. The analyzed wells have shown that There are natural gas reserves of 1.8 billion cubic metersMoreover of Gas reserves condensed with around 66 million tons Changing this place to a really special area.
According to studies, a gas layer has been formed by a mixture of hydrocarbons, nitrogen, methane and other gases that facilitate that white hydrogen.
A new economic tool
Due to the white hydrogen extraction process, it appears to be more attractive compared to green hydrogen. The latter is produced by water electrolysis, while natural hydrogen is extracted by geological processes.
In addition, the production costs are lower, the white hydrogen costs $ 0.5 per kilogram, while the price of green hydrogen brushes 6 dollars per kilogram. That is why the Russian government does not overlook this interesting element, because it sees hydrogen as a new form of geopolitical influence in a world with a view to carbon.
After the sanctions of the United States, in 2022, the permanent changes in the Gazprom industry again focuses on hydrogen to reduce the carbon footprint on export to allied countries.
The Gazprom group already produces approximately 350,000 tons of hydrogen per yearBut for internal consumption, so that the company can maintain the rhythm of global hydrogen trends. If you can now overcome the technical and logistical problems of this energy source, Gazprom could play a key role in the hydrogen economy.
There are always obstacles
The road for white hydrogen that becomes an industrial energy source is seen with a few obstacles. Companies find challenges in implementing projects that require natural hydrogen as an energy source.
At first, A place with natural hydrogen in sufficient quantities to perform a stable industrial extraction has not yet been discovered. In addition, new technologies and instrumentation are needed to obtain hydrogen from complex gas mixtures that occur in the deposits.
Second, and above all, the Lack of an international market for the use of natural hydrogenwho slows down the investment of Gazprom in the industry. But if demand begins to rise and it remains stable, the company would consider increasing its production.
The birth of a new energy
Although the white hydrogen industry is still taking its first steps, confronted with economic and technological challenges, it is poet than ever to take advantage of the various sources of clean energy.
This progress that could change in the energy sector, as this discovery of Turkish hydrogen made. Of course, irony does not go unnoticed, andThis is a great source that was used to make bombs, is now an ally against climate change, so that doors are opened for a more sustainable and responsible energy cover.