Letter from Moscow: Russia reluctantly explores hydrogen
If the EU, its major customer, is looking at displacing natural gas with H<sub>2</sub>, the resource-rich producer must also try to get in on the act
Russia’s oil and gas industry was among the observers that expected, or at least hoped, that Europe would respond to the Covid-19 pandemic by putting its decarbonisation plans on hold to focus on near-term economic recovery. Instead, the continent’s energy transition ambitions have only picked up pace. Governments and businesses alike are doubling down on commitments to the Paris Agreement. To gauge the threat this poses to oil and the transition’s long-term impact on prices, one need only look at the billions of dollars that the world’s largest producers have written off on their balance sheets. Russia’s own Paris goals are so modest that it has already almost met them. This is because its
Also in this section
14 January 2026
Continent’s governments must seize the green hydrogen opportunity by refining policies and ramping up the development of supply chains and infrastructure
6 January 2026
Shifts in government policy and rising power demand will shape the clean hydrogen sector as it attempts to gain momentum following a sluggish performance in 2025
23 December 2025
Government backing and inflow of private capital point to breakthrough year for rising star of the country’s clean energy sector
19 December 2025
The hydrogen industry faces an important choice: coordinated co-evolution or patched-together piecemeal development. The way forward is integrated co-evolution, and freight corridors are a good example
