Russia recognizes hydrogen as mineral

MOSCOW. July 20 (Interfax) - Hydrogen is now recognized in Russia as an independent mineral, Konstantin Romanov, General Director of Gazprom Hydrogen LLC, said at the CGI Russia Green Transition: Solutions for the Future webinar.

"The most important news in the hydrogen industry right now is the recent order from Rosstandart dated July 7, which includes hydrogen in the all-Russian classifier of minerals," he said.

The order from Rosstandart dated 07.07.2023 N 490-st, On the Approval of Change 5/2023 to the All-Russian Classifier of Minerals and Groundwater, is effective as of August 1, 2023.

"We all perceived hydrogen as a secondary energy resource. Now we understand that hydrogen can also be produced. If this process is established, then there will be enough of it for everyone, because there is a lot of it. Hydrogen releases are observed in many countries. Australia is already issuing licenses for hydrogen exploration. But you need to understand that capturing hydrogen and purifying it to the required quality is also a significant task that has yet to be resolved," Romanov said.

Hydrogen is also an indirect greenhouse gas, Romanov said.

The greenhouse effect of methane is currently being reassessed in science, he said. "The role of methane as a greenhouse gas is exaggerated. Methane not only contributes to the greenhouse effect by reflecting the sun's rays when re-reflected from the earth, but also by itself reflects the sun's rays, thereby preventing the warming of the earth. The cooling effect, minus 30%, has not been considered yet."