Russian Hydrogen will take part in a chemical cluster in the Irkutsk Region

The Government of the Irkutsk Region has signed an agreement with the chemical holding Russian Hydrogen JSC on the company’s participation in the creation of the Federal Chemistry Center at the site of the Usoliekhimprom enterprise in the city of Usolye-Sibirskoye. Russian Hydrogen will act as an anchor investor.

As the head of the holding, Eduard Davydov, told Kommersant, in general, investments in the project are planned at the level of 830 billion rubles. within ten years. We are talking about own and borrowed funds, as well as support from the state in the field of creating the project infrastructure and R&D. The energy and metallurgical holding En+ also participates in the agreement.

It is planned that the center will produce epichlorohydrin, epoxy resins, phosphorus and its derivatives, as well as “other types of chemical products in demand.” One of the key projects will be membrane electrolysis for the production of caustic soda and chlorine.

At the moment, at the site of Usoliekhimprom, whose work was stopped in 2005, the liquidation of chemical waste generated after the closure of the mercury electrolysis shop in 1998 is underway. Rosatom is responsible for the clean-up work. In order to process hazardous waste in 2024, the Vostok ecotechnopark should be launched at the site. As Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko reported in the spring, the territory has already been freed from the most hazardous waste, work is underway on reclamation, and issues of energy supply and additional gasification are being resolved.

Olga Mordyushenko