EU hydrogen demand tempts Central Asia and the Caspian

Geopolitical shift is boosting investment case for renewable hydrogen production in the two regions

The EU’s ambition to import 10mt/yr of clean hydrogen by the end of the decade is a potential opportunity for Central Asian and Caspian governments. Both regions boast extensive hydrocarbon experience as well as ample renewable resource. Kazakhstan alone has the potential to produce up to 2.62mt/yr of low-carbon hydrogen by 2040, according to the UN. As the ninth-largest country in the world, with around 20m people, Kazakhstan sits on vast untapped wind and solar resources. Further south, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan both have the potential to draw desalinated water from the Caspian Sea. Doubly landlocked Uzbekistan is also blessed with substantial solar resources, the country arguably emergi