Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft plans to more than double its production of hydrogen by 2024.

The firm currently produces 100,000t/yr of hydrogen and hopes to raise this volume to 250,000t/yr by 2024.

Gazprom Neft has joined Russian analytical advisory body the Council of Industrial Partners—part of Technological Hydrogen Valley, a consortium formed by educational and scientific institutions—in order to share knowledge and expertise.

“We have already formed a technological chain for capturing, storing, transporting and geological storage of carbon dioxide” Vashkevich, Gazprom Neft

The bulk of the firm’s hydrogen production is of the grey variety. Gazprom Neft did not say what proportion of this new production would be blue, green or grey, although it did say it was accelerating investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which it is already using at the Rusanda field in Serbia.

“Russia has enormous potential to occupy a commercial niche in the global market for CO₂ utilisation quotas,” says Alexey Vashkevich, director for technological development at Gazprom Neft.

“We have already formed a technological chain for capturing, storing, transporting and geological storage of carbon dioxide,” he says.

Turquoise hydrogen

The firm’s industrial innovation centre is investigating the possibility of turquoise hydrogen production.

Like grey and blue hydrogen, turquoise hydrogen also uses methane as a feedstock, but the process is driven by heat produced with electricity rather than through the combustion of fossil fuels.

Gazprom Neft is also collaborating with Russian steel producer Severstal on the use of hydrogen in metallurgical processes and on CCS.

The two companies will also look to develop hydrogen transportation and storage.

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Author: Tom Young