Can the first element of the Mendeleyev table become a global energy resource and displace fossil fuels from the market? Leading politicians, scientists and representatives of big business shared their opinion on this issue.
On Tuesday, December 1, in the framework of the Russian-German Raw Materials Forum, an online conference dedicated to the prospects of hydrogen energy was held. It was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany Peter Altmaier, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Chairman of the Bundesrat (a legislative body consisting of representatives of German states) Rainer Hezeloff, Forum co-chairmen Vladimir Litvinenko and Klaus Tepfer, Bundestag deputy Stefan Kaufmann, Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin, Aide to the head of the Presidential Administration Kirill Molodtsov, other prominent politicians and scientists, as well as heads of major fuel and energy companies of the two countries. The discussion was attended by more than seven hundred people from Germany and thousands from Russia and other countries.
Vladimir Litvinenko reminded the audience that 50 years ago Moscow and Berlin signed a unique document according to which Germany undertook to supply large diameter pipes to the USSR for construction of a gas pipeline from Siberia to Western Europe. In return, it received energy resources necessary for the development of its national economy. The deal of the century, as its contemporaries called it, took place despite the resistance of the Americans who, as today, tried to convince the Germans that they would become dependent on their eastern neighbors. Nothing like that happened, and that contract was the starting point for long and successful energy cooperation between nations.
How will it be transformed in the future? And will hydrogen become its integral part? According to Vladimir Litvinenko, in order to get an adequate answer to these questions, one should focus on the discussion of global energy as a whole, rather than taking out of context certain types of energy carriers. Otherwise, their prospects, no matter how cloudless they may seem, may turn out to be largely overrated.
"Individual countries do have a theoretical possibility to implement in the foreseeable future a nationwide hydrocarbon abandonment, e.g., Denmark, Spain and Germany. But the energy mix of the rest will be based on fossil fuels for decades to come. If we talk about energy transition, today it is extremely difficult to calculate its cost, both for the states and for ordinary consumers," Litvinenko noted.
He reminded that capital investments in oil production after 2014 fell sharply - from $ 900 to $400 billion, although the global demand for it has not yet reached its peak. Investments into the industry today lag behind the required level by about 40%, which may lead to a shortage of raw materials and a sharp rise in prices for black gold. That’s especially true against the background of depletion of easily accessible world reserves, growing demand for gas and petrochemical processing products and declining prospects for discovering new large deposits.
"We all want to use clean resources and live on a clean planet. But we cannot break away from reality. We can't consider hydrogen as an unambiguous vector of development and rush too hard to provide energy transfer at any cost. For our cooperation to be successful, we first of all need a balanced and clear policy that will take into account all aspects of the partnership in the fuel and energy sector, rather than its individual elements. Only in this way will we be able to ensure the sustainability of energy systems in the future," Litvinenko summed up.
Co-Chairman of the Russian-German Forum on the German side, former UN Deputy Secretary General Klaus Toepfer called the issue of energy supply to Germany a cornerstone for its further social and economic development. At the same time, he stressed that mankind faces an ambitious task to stop the process of climate change. And "Germany is ready to work on it together with its Russian friends".
"We will always import energy resources, including from Russia, which has long proven to be a reliable partner. In my opinion, our cooperation can really develop further, including the use of hydrogen. Of course, there are many doubts about its prospects, as Mr. Litvinenko has just told us. But on the other hand, we need to strive for new horizons, stop the melting of glaciers, reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. These are extremely topical issues that we have to solve," Klaus Toepfer explained his position.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak stressed that the domestic energy industry is one of the cleanest in the world. Over 80% of all electric power generated in Russia is generated from carbon-free or low-carbon sources, i.e. natural gas, HPPs and NPPs.
Asked about the prospects of hydrogen, Deputy Prime Minister said that its share in the energy balance may reach 7 to 25% by 2050. But this will only happen if the problems associated with the high cost of its production, storage and transportation are solved.
"We all live on the same planet and, of course, must take care of its future. In Russia, we are aware of our responsibility. Additional proof of this was our country's accession to the Paris Climate Agreement, which has already transformed into a serious work on infrastructure modernization. A number of large Russian companies have announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality in 30 years. At the same time, movement towards green energy should not be ultimatum because hydrocarbons, and especially natural gas, will remain the leading energy sources for a very long time," Novak said.
German Minister of Economy and Energy Peter Altmaier called the topic of hydrogen extremely topical, and was pleased that it is being discussed at the Russian-German Raw Materials Forum. He also noted the need for energy transformation and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Germany is planning to solve this task by introducing H2 as an energy resource, among other things.
"The Russian-German Raw Materials Forum is an important platform for exchanging experience and establishing contacts between business and scientists of both countries. Our goal is to establish cooperation with those countries, which have potential in the sphere of hydrogen production. Now we are making the first important step in this direction," said Altmayer.
During the conference, scientists and business representatives discussed such issues as opportunities for the development of hydrogen clusters in Russia, technological difficulties of hydrogen production, problems associated with its transportation and storage, and a number of others.
Forpost will continue its series of publications on the prospects of using the lightest natural gas in the fuel and energy complex.
