On 7 November 2022, the European Union (EU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kazakhstan, inter alia to develop renewable hydrogen supply chains. The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov met on 19 May 2023 to set an implementation plan of the MoU.
Following Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, Central Asia, and Kazakhstan in particular, acquired a new geopolitical significance for Europe. Enhanced cooperation between the EU and Kazakhstan could support the decarbonisation of traded goods to the EU, and potentially trade of green hydrogen (or derivatives). Astana has announced plans to develop a hydrogen industry in the country, aiming both at domestic decarbonisation and future exports. The country has significant potential for developing renewable hydrogen, due to its abundant solar and wind resources. Astana has also set a target of generating 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.
But significant obstacles remain a challenge for EU-Kazakhstan cooperation, including lack of incentives to decarbonise the economy, lack of local R&D&D, and international transport infrastructure, as well as water scarcity. This paper proposes regional cooperation, an EU-Kazakhstan Hydrogen Incubator and the exploration of infrastructure options as policy recommendations to establish a EU-Kazakhstan Green Hydrogen Partnership.
