Realizing the benefits of a hydrogen industry in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The prospects of hydrogen energy in Kazakhstan are mainly seen from an export-oriented perspective. There has been limited progress toward developing hydrogen-end use in Kazakhstan. This work presents a long-term vision on hydrogen end-use in the industry, transport and power sectors of Kazakhstan. The vision is fully aligned with the recently released Carbon-Neutrality Strategy of Kazakhstan and considers the experience of several countries which have developed a hydrogen strategy. Owing to the existing use of hydrogen in the chemical sector and refineries, these two were categorized as near-term end-use areas. The steel sector, heavy-duty transport (buses, trucks and railway) and hydrogen-fueled gas turbines are identified as mid-term end-use areas, as these options have fully matured to commercial use. Industrial heating, ships, aviation, power backup power and energy storage systems are long-term options. Developing hydrogen end-use requires dealing with technologies that have just entered the market and development stage technologies that are yet to reach commercial use. Both types rely on Kazakhstan's R&D and innovation capacity to make their economy cost-competitive. The analysis of R&D support in the country revealed systematic underfunding over the years compared with countries that have higher R&D capacity. The work also presents general approaches to hydrogen R&D in Kazakhstan for industry and academia, which are the main drivers of innovation.