One of the appendices of Russia’s Energy Strategy 2050 will now include a list of top-priority industry technologies, including those in the field of industrial and environmental safety, Mr. Zhdaneev noted. He said that this area of work has enormous potential with regard to the processing of ash and slag waste, including in Sakhalin. “Together with our colleagues from Far Eastern Federal University, we have already taken several waste samples from local power plants. Given the popularity of the environmental agenda on the island, this could become a priority,” he added.
“As for conventional energy, we are going to the Arctic sooner or later. In this connection, Sakhalin’s unique location allows the region to become a platform for building offshore drilling rigs, extremely complex structures that can cost over $1 billion each,” Mr. Zhdaneev emphasized. “If we look at the power sector, we ought to consider energy supplies for isolated territories, where we could establish a mutually beneficial relationship with existing hydrogen energy projects, with energy storage,” he noted.
The engineering and technological expertise accumulated over the years of conventional energy development in Sakhalin could benefit the energy transition. “Sakhalin has the world’s most advanced wells in terms of drilling techniques and infrastructure. This unique expertise could be used for carbon dioxide storage, as well as to increase the efficiency of drilling operations,” Mr. Zhdaneev concluded.
