Ukraine to test hydrogen production in 2022

Ukraine is currently drafting a hydrogen energy strategy,
foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told CEENERGY NEWS on June 15. This includes the
production of hydrogen fuel and its transport through Ukraine’s existing Gas
Transit System (GTS), Ukrinform reports. The first pilot projects will begin in
2022, Kuleba stated. He pointed to the zero-carbon strategy of the European
Union and stated that green hydrogen would be a feature of Ukraine’s
eurointegration.

The move comes as Russian use of the GTS is threatened
by the completion of the Nord Stream II pipeline. The completion and
utilization of the pipeline and its consequences are part of negotiations on
June 16 between U.S. president Joe Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine has sought assurances from the U.S. that it would champion Ukraine’s
resistance to Nord Stream based on economic and geopolitical arguments.

James Hydzik: The
development of green hydrogen fuel in Ukraine could revolutionize its
geopolitical importance to western Europeans while further extracting itself
from Russian influence. The two main arguments against “letting” the Russians
build Nord Stream have been the loss of roughly USD 2 billion in budget revenue
yearly and that with the GTS of diminished importance, Russia will feel bolder
to take action against Ukraine. By creating hydrogen fuel and utilizing the GTS
to get the fuel to foreign customers, both problems are solved.