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OMV Petrom vicepresident: Romania can become a “Blue hydrogen valley” in EU
Romania can become a “Blue hydrogen valley”in EU, as it has gas resources, carbon storage capacities and varied industry which can use this resource, said Ionut Ciubotaru, vicepresident for business development, OMV Petrom, at a conference on Tuesday.
“At present we are the second gas producers in EU after the Netherlands and we have a big opportunity to become the first largest natural gas producer in EU, if we access gas resources in the Black Sea, with all advantages this investment can bring along in point of jobs, state budget incomes and Romania's independence from imports. If we do not have these resources, Price Waterhouse Coopers foresees that 50% of the necessary has consumption will come from import in 2030,” Ciubotaru said at the conference “Hydrogen Project- first steps in Romania,” organized by Energynomics.ro.
Moreover, Romania can store carbon dioxide in empty crude and gas reservoirs.
“Obviously, tests must be done and the law adjusted, but there is this possibility, we should take it into account and have in view that we may become one of the largest carbon dioxide stock owners in EU,” the OMV Petrom official continued.
At the same time, Romania has a varied industry where hydrogen can be used.
“Romania has a very good industrial diversity, which leads us to the idea that maybe we will have local hydrogen consumers in the future. I am mentioning all these three arguments for a concept we are trying to promote, that Romania can become a “Blue hydrogen valley in EU,” Ciubotaru added.
In his turn, Ioan Iordache, the CEO of the Association for Hydrogen Energy, said that hydrogen can be stored in salt mines on a long run.
“We are talking about storing hydrogen in underground salt caves. Storing on a long run, in large quantities. In Romania we have this potential and we are among the first to have studied and written about it,”Iordache showed at the same conference.