PJSC Lukoil has today (Dec 23) become the latest oil and gas company to commit to hydrogen, having confirmed its intention to investigate the production and supply of green hydrogen at its Petrotel Lukoil Refinery in the city of Ploesti, Romania.

An effort that will be carried out in collaboration with Rusatom Overseas JSC, through a newly inked Memorandum of Intent (MoI), work at the Petrotel Lukoil Refinery is expected to include the construction of a green hydrogen production unit.

Rustem Gimaletdinov, Vice-President for Oil Refining, Petrochemicals and Gas Processing at PJSC Lukoil, said, “Together with our technological partner, Rusatom State Corporation, we will evaluate prospects for our plant’s switching to one of the most environmentally-friendly technology of hydrogen production, which enables refineries to greatly reduce their carbon footprint.

“In the future, this will allow us to replace all traditionally produced hydrogen, generated by methane steam reforming, with green hydrogen, generated via electrolysis in symbiosis with renewable energy sources.”

As part of the collaboration, the parties hope to also look at the issue of obtaining government support for the project at both national and European levels.

Evgeny Pakermanov, President of Rusatom Overseas JSC?, added, “Rusatom acts as investor, developer and technological partner in hydrogen projects in Russia and abroad. We are happy to offer our cooperation in supplying ‘turnkey’ low-carbon hydrogen to Lukoil.

“We are studying possibilities of manufacturing hydrogen at the Romanian refinery by employing electrolysers with production capacity of ten thousand cubic metres per hour.”