Energy_Transition

World’s largest green hydrogen plan to tap 45GW of wind and solar in Kazakhstan

German developer Svevind eyes massive build on Kazakh steppe to fuel 30GW of electrolysers producing three million tonnes of green H2

Visualisation of Kazakh wind and solar plants
Visualisation of Kazakh wind and solar plantsFoto: Svevind

German investor and project developer Svevind Energy and Kazakhstan’s investment promotion agency have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop what would be by far the world’s largest single-nation green hydrogen facility planned to date.

Svevind plans to install wind and solar arrays with a combined capacity of 45GW in flat steppe areas in western and central Kazakhstan, which would feed 30GW of electrolysers to produce about three million tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

The H2 could either be exported directly to growing Eurasian markets, or used locally to produce high-value green products such as fossil-free ammonia, steel or aluminium, Svevind said.

“Svevind aims to combine the outstanding natural resources in Kazakhstan with Svevind’s long-time experience and passion in project development to supply Kazakhstan and Eurasia with green, sustainable energy and products,” the developer’s majority owner and chief executive Wolfgang Kropp said.

“The green hydrogen facilities will lift Kazakhstan among the global leaders of renewable energy and hydrogen at very competitive, ultra-low production costs. We trust that for green hydrogen, Kazakhstan is the place to be.”

Svevind didn't reveal an exact investment figure for the massive plan, but said costs will likely be in line with those of similar renewable hydrogen projects in Chile or Australia. The developer expects a final investment decision between 2025 and 2027.

The scale of the plan would catapult it to the head of the list of single-country initiatives in Recharge's list of largest planned green H2 projects, behind only the pan-European HyDeal Ambition which aims for 95GW of solar and 67GW of elctrolysers.
Another giant green hydrogen contender, the $36bn, 26GW/14GW Asian Renewable Energy Hub, suffered a setback this week when the Australian government refused it environmental consent.

Markbygden track record

Although the Kazakhstan plan is hugely ambitious, Svevind has proved that it can pull off huge wind projects.

The company has developed the giant Markbygden onshore complex in northern Sweden, which recently surpassed 1GW in installed capacity and eventually is slated to reach 3.4GW-4GW, making it one of the world’s largest wind projects.

The developer in mid-May presented its massive green hydrogen plan to the Kazakh government during consultations in the central Asian nation’s capital of Nur-Sultan.

The Kazakh project’s overall development, engineering, procurement and financing phases are expected to take three to five years. Construction and commissioning phases are predicted to take approximately five years, according to Svevind.

Meirzhan Yussupov, chairman of the board of investment promotion agency Kazakh Invest, said the green hydrogen could be used in transport, energy and the railway industry, contributing to the advancement of low-carbon development in Kazakhstan.

“The promotion of low-carbon development is in line with the strategic direction of development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the obligations undertaken in the framework of international agreements,” Yussopov said.

“Through the development of hydrogen energy, Kazakhstan can find its niche in the world supply of hydrogen.”

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Published 25 June 2021, 12:43Updated 25 June 2021, 13:33
Asia-PacificKazakhstanwindsolar