Press-centre

23 july 2024

Our company has signed an agreement with Russian partners that provides for the supply of three 130-ton BELAZ hybrid dump trucks using hydrogen as fuel to begin their pilot operation on Sakhalin.

Photo by the press service of the Sakhalin region government

The ceremonial launch of a pilot project for the use of hydrogen-powered mining dump trucks and associated refueling infrastructure at enterprises in the region took place as part of the design and educational intensive “Archipelago-2024” in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (July 8-21). The signing ceremony of the agreement was timed to coincide with the opening of the first hydrogen test site in Russia.

Together with BELAZ, representatives of the government of the Sakhalin region, JSC «Rusatom Overseas», JSC «New Production Technologies» and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) put their signatures on the document on July 17. The parties agreed to conduct joint research and develop mechanisms for introducing eco-fuel technology. At the first stage of the project, by mid-2025, one or two 130-ton hydrogen dump trucks should already be in operation.

According to the plans of the government of the Russian Federation, Sakhalin should become the first carbon-free region in the country. One of the concrete practical steps in this direction was the opening of a hydrogen test site. This demonstration site will produce hydrogen by electrolysis using solar and wind energy. According to plans, eco-fuel will power both public and municipal transport in the region, as well as quarry equipment used in coal mining.

“This will give science and production practical experience in working with powerful heavy equipment and will help promote our products on the market, including in other regions of the country,” said Valery Limarenko, Governor of the Sakhalin Region.

The hydrogen project, implemented with the participation of BELAZ, promises to become very promising in the development of hydrogen energy, including in the quarry transport segment.

“Under the hood of the new hydrogen fuel dump trucks there are not only advanced technologies, but also great science, which will allow us to develop the use of hydrogen energy sources in various areas of transport, including unmanned transport, as well as scale up the scope of their application depending on regional needs,” said the rector MIPT Dmitry Livanov.

Today, the use of hydrogen, as the most environmentally friendly alternative fuel produced using renewable energy, is a good way to expand the existing energy resource base and reduce the negative impact on the environment.

In the fall of 2023, BELAZ presented its own innovative technology - a test prototype with a hybrid operating scheme combining hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.