Kazakhstan to supply green hydrogen to EU via Middle Corridor
Hyrasia One (a subsidiary of SVEVIND Energy Group, which produces green hydrogen in Kazakhstan) and Semurg Invest (the owner and operator of the Sarzha Multifunctional Marine Terminal at Port Kuryk, Mangystau region of Kazakhstan) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to ship green hydrogen and ammonia through Port Kuryk, Trend reports.
By signing the Memorandum of Understanding, both parties agreed to collaborate closely in order to connect the green hydrogen and ammonia project Hyrasia One to Sarzha MMT at Port Kuryk, as well as to develop a new logistics focal point along the Global Gateway route in the Caspian Sea region.
Up to 2 million tons of green hydrogen or 11 million tons of green ammonia are expected to be supplied to worldwide markets from the Mangystau region in south-western Kazakhstan in 2032. The MoC states that both firms intend to expand and run Port Kuryk as the primary terminal for storing, transporting, and exporting Hyrasia One's trading commodities along the Caspian Sea route.
The signing by Wolfgang Kropp, CEO of Hyrasia One, and Madina Anet, Business Development Director of Semurg Invest, was attended by Margulan Baimukhan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Belgium, and Marat Karabayev, the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
"This arrangement allows us to expand our transportation capacities and global shipping options. The Trans-Caspian route, in particular, is critical for Europe. The route has been confirmed by Deutsche Bahn engineering and consultancy to be capable of transporting up to 11 million tons per year from Hyrasia One's site to the EU.," noted Wolfgang Kropp.
Other transport routes by train or combined rail or ship are also feasible and under further review. In order to reach other potential markets, such as Asia, the Middle East, and others, the establishment of Port Kuryk as a global hydrogen terminal is also enormously important, Kropp said.
To implement the MoC, the port infrastructure must include adequate capacity for transshipment of up to 11 million tons of ammonia per year. In this regard, Semurg Invest plans to build a dedicated terminal in Port Kuryk.
"We are confident that this collaboration agreement will help to improve Kuryk Port's growth potential, and Semurg Invest is thrilled to add a new terminal project to the Sarzha MMT portfolio. Semurg Invest's first green hydrogen/ammonia export terminal in the Caspian Sea and along the Trans-Capian route, along with the Hyrasia One project, will play a vital part in this value chain, putting Kazakhstan on the map of world-scale green initiatives," said Madina Anet, Business Development Director of Semurg Invest.
Hyrasia One, together with Deutsche Bahn AG, has already completed an analysis of possible routes for exporting products to Europe and Asia. Experts have labeled the Trans-Caspian route to Europe, through the ports in Kazakhstan (Kuryk), Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as one of the most promising. Its total length will be over 8,700 km, and the delivery speed will be 25 days.
The Middle Corridor is a transportation and trade route that connects Asia and Europe, passing through several countries in the region. It is an alternative route to the traditional Northern Corridor and Southern Corridor.
The route starts in China and crosses Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It then passes through the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye before reaching Europe.
The Middle Corridor offers a land route that connects the eastern parts of Asia, including China, with Europe, bypassing the longer maritime routes.