Hydrogen Economy, Peer Review and Siberia

The federal government has presented its draft concept for the development of the hydrogen economy in Russia setting goals and target parameters for the near future. According to the plan, basic clusters and pilot hydrogen-producing projects are to be launched by 2025. Steps will be taken to ensure introducing hydrogen as a fuel of choice in the domestic market. This will be followed by the establishment of major export-oriented hydrogen industries and switching to hydrogen in various sectors of the economy. The Russian Arctic will inevitably play an important role in this process, its riches serving as resources for hydrogen production, experts say.

The team of experts of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has completed a pre-start-up peer review of two nuclear-powered icebreakers, Arctic and Siberia. For two weeks, the WANO experts have been monitoring work processes and conducting interviews with the icebreakers’ crewmembers and the staff of the Baltic Shipyard -- the one responsible for building the atomic icebreakers of this series. In their interim report, experts gave their comments and offered advice on how to improve safety in the context of construction of and operating the two sister ships.

According to Viacheslav Ruksha, Deputy General Director of Rosatom, Siberia, the second Arctic-class nuclear-powered icebreaker, is likely to join the Russian icebreaker fleet by the end of 2021. At present, the shipyard is lagging behind the revised schedule, but the overall delay “will not be critical”, Mr. Ruksha said. The new icebreaker will be deployed at the Northern Sea Route.