Page 15 - AsiaElec Week 45 2022

AsiaElec RENEWABLES AsiaElec

EU taps Kazakhstan for rare

earths, green hydrogen

AUSTRALIA EUROPE has turned its sights on distant A further priority is “increasing the resilience
Kazakhstan as it casts around for supplies of of raw material, battery and renewable hydrogen
rare earth metals and clean hydrogen to meet its supply chains.” That may prove the most chal-
green economy targets. lenging given supply chain disruptions between
On November 7, the European Commission Kazakhstan and Europe caused by Russia’s war
signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s govern- in Ukraine.
ment to develop supplies of green hydrogen and Efforts are under way to develop the “Middle
raw materials to manufacture equipment such as Corridor” supply route, bypassing Russia and
wind turbines and batteries for electric cars. going across the Caspian Sea, but removing bot-
The memorandum of understanding, signed tlenecks will take several years.
on the sidelines of the COP27 climate change Critical raw materials identified by the EU
conference in Egypt, will “boost the green and include rare earth magnates, for wind turbines;
digital transformation of both sides’ economies,” lithium and cobalt, for batteries; and polysilicon,
the commission said. for semiconductors.
“A secure and sustainable supply of raw mate- Astana identified lithium extraction as a
rials, refined materials and renewable hydrogen promising area two years ago.
is a key layer to help build a new, cleaner foun- Kazakhstan has some 50,000 tonnes in
dation for our economies, especially as we move deposits, the United States Geological Survey
away from our dependency on fossil fuels,” estimates. That is a fraction of the 89mn tonnes
European Commission President Ursula von in global deposits, but a significant amount in a
der Leyen said. world hungry for rare metals.
“Together, we will work to better integrate President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said last
our strategic value chains related to raw materi- month he had asked the USGS to step up explo-
als, to batteries and to renewable hydrogen,” she ration of lithium deposits in Kazakhstan, which
added. he believed could be double the current estimate.
Meeting green and digital economy goals But to get it out of the ground, “substantial
“requires an appropriate amount of specific raw investment in exploration and development is
materials, and in particular minerals of which required.”
Kazakhstan is so rich,” von Der Leyen contin- Kazakhstan’s green hydrogen ambitions are
ued. “So raw materials and renewable hydro- already moving ahead.
gen are not only essential building blocks for Last month it signed a $50bn agreement with
our sustainable future but also for our shared European renewables group Svevind to build
prosperity.” one of the world’s largest green hydrogen plants
The agreement focuses on three areas, begin- in western Mangystau Region.
ning with “closer economic and industrial Hyrasia One aims to start production by 2030
integration in the strategic value chains of raw and produce 2mn tonnes annually from 2032.
materials, batteries and renewable hydrogen.” That is equivalent to one-fifth of the EU’s 2030
That entails identifying joint projects; aligning target for green hydrogen imports.
environmental, social and governance (ESG) At COP27, the government also signed an
standards; and modernising mining and refining agreement with Australian renewables company
technologies with sustainable practices. Fortescue Future Industries to seek green energy
Another area is cooperation on capacity opportunities in Mangystau and elsewhere.
building, skills development and research and The deal “will explore potential projects for
innovation. That includes “decarbonization of renewable energy sources and green hydrogen
the critical raw materials value chain including production in several regions of Kazakhstan,
by using renewable energy and digitalization” including Atyrau and Mangistau – areas rich
and “greening and sustainability of mining with water and wind resources,” FFI said.™
processes.”

Week 45 08•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P15