Azerbaijan will develop its first National Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy as part of decarbonization measures, which plans to replace "gray" hydrogen with "green" hydrogen, said Rena Humbatova, deputy director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan (BOEMDA) under the Ministry of Energy, at a panel during Baku Climate Action Week, Report informs.
She said that Azerbaijan has long been producing 'gray' hydrogen (obtained by splitting natural gas into carbon and hydrogen - ed.), which is used in oil refining to purify gasoline and diesel.
"Presently, new facilities for the production of 'gray' hydrogen are operating at the oil refinery, which has increased the output of this product. Many oil and gas companies are considering the possibility of replacing 'gray' hydrogen with 'green' hydrogen on the path to decarbonization. Naturally, the price of 'green' hydrogen is higher, but from an environmental point of view, production will be cleaner, meaning CO2 emissions will be reduced," noted Humbatova.
The deputy director of BOEMDA, referring to a report by the International Energy Agency, noted that 12 million people worldwide work directly in the oil and gas sector.
"On the path to decarbonization and energy transition, these employees need retraining. The oil and gas industry can provide them with such opportunities and open new specialties, such as geothermal energy, carbon utilization and storage," added Humbatova.