Kazakhstan and the United Kingdom have signed memorandums on the development of green hydrogen and rare earth metals following the meeting of Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov with British Foreign Minister James Cleverly, who arrived in Astana on his first official visit on 18 March, Kallanish notes.

"Today we are diversifying our trade and investment partnership. Kazakhstan has huge resources of rare earth metals, you play a huge role in terms of food security,” Cleverley noted. “These are sectors in which we want to strengthen our partnership. I am very pleased to note that we have signed a memorandum to promote this partnership within the framework of rare earth metals."

According to him, the countries have also concluded a memorandum of cooperation for the exchange of experience in hydrogen technologies. 

"Britain's leading carbon-neutral technologies will help diversify and expand our countries' green economy," he added.

“In terms of energy, the implementation of joint projects for the production of green hydrogen is of interest, and in the logistics sector, the further development of the Trans-Caspian international transport route,” Smailov said.

Kazakhstan claims to be the first country in Central Asia to adopt a long-term strategy to achieve carbon neutrality, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said earlier at the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Week summit.

Germany plans to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan in the production of green hydrogen, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during her visit to the Central Asian country last October.

Baerbock’s visit to Kazakhstan followed a visit from the European Council’s President Charles Michael earlier, where he signed an MOU with President Tokayev to develop a strategic partnership for green hydrogen and sustainable battery materials.

According to President Michael, a major green hydrogen production project in the Caspian region will show how a sustainable future can be developed. After 2030, it will produce 3 million tonnes/year of green hydrogen through electrolysis using electricity generated from wind farms.

In 2022, Germany-based renewable energy developer Svevind Energy Group said it’s planning to invest $50 billion into a 20 gigawatt green hydrogen project in Kazakhstan. The so-called Hyrasia One project aims to produce 2m t/y of green hydrogen at full capacity. First production is slated for early 2030 before it reaches peak production in 2032.