Rusatom Overseas (part of Rosatom) and Gazprom Neft on 12 October signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrogen energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
The document was signed by Rusatom Overseas President Yevgeny Pakermanov and Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Neft Management Committee Vadim Yakovlev.
The companies agreed to work together to study the possibilities of transporting and storing carbon dioxide generated during hydrogen production within the framework of Rosatom's projects on Sakhalin Island. Gazprom Neft will work on the technical and commercial aspects of carbon dioxide utilisation. In addition, the parties will jointly consider the prospects for cooperation in other areas of decarbonisation of production.
Rosatom is implementing a project to build a plant for the production of hydrogen from natural gas in the Sakhalin Region. It is expected that the production volume will be from 30,000 to 100,000 tons a year. The company will study the experience of Gazprom Neft in creating a closed cycle for capturing and pumping CO2 to a depth of several kilometres and the prospects for its use for the utilisation of carbon dioxide emitted during hydrogen production within the Sakhalin project. Such solutions have been successfully applied since 2015 at the Rusanda field by NIS (a joint venture between Gazprom Neft and the Republic of Serbia).
“The problem of achieving carbon neutrality is becoming more and more urgent for many regions of Russia, and the demand for advanced technologies in this area will grow. It goes without saying that our cooperation with Gazprom Neft in organising carbon dioxide management within the framework of our hydrogen projects on Sakhalin will play an important role in the implementation of a large-scale programme for the development of a carbon-free economy in the region and will allow us to introduce the best technological solutions here. We also see prospects for cooperation on projects in the field of decarbonisation of production facilities in other regions of Russia, and we will be glad to work together,” said Pakermanov.
“Our company shares the global trend towards the transition to low-carbon energy and decarbonization of production. Oilmen have extensive experience in capturing and pumping gas into geological formations, and we can offer our competencies to companies from related industries, including for the production of low-carbon hydrogen in Sakhalin," said Yakovlev.