The head of Rosneft assessed the role of hydrogen in the global energy balance

Hydrogen storage is one of the most promising new energy sources. This was stated by Igor Sechin, Executive Secretary of the Presidential Commission for the Development Strategy of the Fuel and Energy Complex and Environmental Safety, head of Rosneft, at the Energy Panel of the XXIX St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"In the future, hydrogen may occupy a significant niche in the global energy mix. One of the most promising areas is hydrogen energy storage, which, unlike lithium-ion systems, has not yet become widespread," Sechin noted in his report "The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning: what remains at the bottom of Pandora's Box?"

According to him, hydrogen solutions can potentially be used to store excess cheap electricity from basic and renewable generation facilities. However, they are now inferior to traditional energy solutions in economic efficiency: according to the International Energy Agency, the cost of producing "green" hydrogen in most regions of the world exceeds $ 200 per barrel of oil equivalent, Sechin added.

At the same time, thermonuclear energy remains a long-term goal. Despite the potential, a stable controlled thermonuclear reaction has not yet been achieved, the head of Rosneft recalled. At the same time, investments in this sector are growing — in 2025 they increased by almost 40% and reached $ 10 billion.

Sechin was skeptical about data and energy storage projects in space. Such innovations "will have to face countless problems that currently have no scientific or technological solutions," including "radiation, temperature fluctuations, decompression, the commercially unacceptable cost of launching cargo into orbit, energy and data transfer, and much more," he said.