Consortium for Development of Hydrogen Technologies Emerges in Russia

Six leading educational and research organizations in Russia possessing the high-end competences in the field of hydrogen energetics have signed an agreement on the establishment of a consortium for development of hydrogen technologies under the name of “Technological Hydrogen Valley”. Its participants will conduct the joint research and develop the technologies for hydrogen production, transport, safe storage and use in the energetics.

The initiative to establish the consortium belongs to Tomsk Polytechnic University. The other consortium participants are Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Samara Polytechnic University, and Sakhalin State University.

“The global energy market changes, and the humankind needs new, efficient, environmentally friendly sources of energy, not as a replacement, but as an alternative to the traditional hydrocarbons. And hydrogen unquestionable will find its place in the energetics of the future. As estimated by the Hydrogen Council, by 2050 hydrogen would make up to 18% of the total global demand for energy. For Russia to be a leading player at this energetics market of the future, the scientific community must pool their knowledge and efforts for augmentation of the undertaking in the field of hydrogen technologies. It is impossible to face such a challenge alone. This is why we established the first “hydrogen consortium” in Russia. It is important that it includes both universities and research institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and all participants are the organizations with the most serious set of competences in the field of hydrogen”, — says Andrey Yakovlev, interim for rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University.

The participants of the consortium will conduct the joint development of the technologies over the whole “hydrogen chain”, from the technologies of its production to its use. The consortium plans to work in a close cooperation with the largest Russian companies interested in the development of the hydrogen energetics. In the nearest future the participants will draw a “road map” for the further work. The first scientific event would be the conference scheduled for December, 2020.

The consortium is an open structure, and later other universities and academic institutes would join it. The industrial partners would form a supervisory board of the consortium to provide a transfer of the technologies.