Beijing (TDI): Kazakhstan’s National Nuclear Center, part of the Ministry of Energy, inked a memorandum with China Energy Overseas Investment Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Jiao Tong University to establish a Scientific and Technical Innovation Center for Hydrogen Energy in Central Asia.
The facility will be established in the city of Kurchatov, in Kazakhstan’s Abai Region.
The future center is planned to serve as a major scientific and technological platform for research, testing, and the implementation of modern hydrogen energy solutions.
It aims to enhance Kazakhstan’s competitiveness in the hydrogen sector, foster global collaboration in green energy, support innovative energy projects, and help train a new generation of highly qualified specialists.
“Hydrogen energy is one of the major areas of the international energy transition,” said Deputy Minister of Energy, Bakytzhan Ilyas.
“Kazakhstan has considerable potential in this area, and the opening of the center in Kurchatov will bring new opportunities for the development of science, technology, and industry.”
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The initiative is also closely tied to the country’s long-term climate goals.
The center is likely to support Kazakhstan’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 and to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies in the energy sector.
In September 2024, the country approved its Concept for the Development of Hydrogen Energy until 2030.
The policy outlines key objectives including; Fulfilling global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. advancing the national objective of carbon neutrality and expanding access to modern, sustainable energy sources.
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While the strategy prioritizes hydrogen technologies as a cornerstone of the country’s low-carbon transition, the global hydrogen sector remains in its early stages, and notable technical and economic hurdles must still be overcome.
