Prerequisites and Prospects for Hydrogen Energy Development in the Baikal Region

Abstract

A series of legislative documents has been adopted in the Russian Federation with the objective of promoting the development of hydrogen energy. The Irkutsk Region is one of the regions in which the establishment of a large-scale production facility for green hydrogen is planned. According to the Russian Atlas of Low-Carbon and Carbon-Free Hydrogen and Ammonia Production Projects, published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the total hydrogen production in Irkutsk Oblast is projected to reach 21,800 tons per year. The principal avenues for utilization are expected to be the domestic market and export to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The high cost of hydrogen transportation will render export a suboptimal economic strategy in the medium to long term. Export of hydrogen may be feasible through the establishment of a hydrogen green certification system, which would allow for trade of hydrogen without its physical relocation. In this case, the utilization of hydrogen within the region is necessary. The objective of the study is to ascertain the optimal applications of hydrogen and the advancement of hydrogen technologies.