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Kazakhstan and Germany Deepen Green Hydrogen Cooperation
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Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a joint declaration on 29–30 September 2026 committing Kazakhstan and Germany to deepen cooperation on renewable energy, industrial decarbonisation and green hydrogen. The declaration assigns coordination to the Kazakh–German Energy Dialogue, supported by an H2 diplomatic office based in Astana. It ties hydrogen work to broader aims of strengthening energy security, developing energy corridors and increasing industrial cooperation. Below are the declaration’s hydrogen and energy commitments, the linked 2026–2028 roadmap and the scheduled events that will test follow-through.
Key takeaways
- State visit and declaration: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued a joint declaration during Tokayev’s official visit to Germany on 29–30 September 2026.
- Mechanism for cooperation: The presidents committed to expanding cooperation on green hydrogen and broader energy matters through the Kazakh–German Energy Dialogue, with the H2 diplomatic office in Astana providing coordination.
- Roadmap dates: Both presidents endorsed the 2026–2028 roadmap for cooperation on industrial, technological and raw-materials matters.
- Future forum dates: They supported holding the first Kazakh-German Future Forum in Saarland in the summer of 2027 and a possible follow-up forum in Kazakhstan in 2028.
Table of contents
- Key takeaways
- How the presidents tied green hydrogen to energy security
- The 2026–2028 roadmap: industrial ties, raw materials and hydrogen
- Regional climate, water cooperation and Green Central Asia
- Research, skills and the Kazakh-German Future Forum
- How this can play out
- What to be careful about
- Frequently asked questions
How the presidents tied green hydrogen to energy security
The joint declaration signed on 29–30 September 2026 frames green hydrogen as part of a wider energy-security and decarbonisation agenda. Tokayev and Steinmeier name renewable energy expansion, industrial decarbonisation and the development of new energy corridors alongside cooperation on green hydrogen. They explicitly link these topics to efforts to strengthen security of supply and diversify transport routes and energy sources for Europe, making hydrogen cooperation one strand within a bilateral push to reduce exposure to single-source energy lines.
Two specific mechanisms are identified for implementation. The declaration assigns coordination responsibilities to the Kazakh–German Energy Dialogue, complemented by the H2 diplomatic office in Astana, as the primary channels for projects on renewables, hydrogen and associated infrastructure. It also links these energy objectives to transport priorities, naming the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route as a strategic corridor for Asia–Europe trade and energy connections.
The 2026–2028 roadmap: industrial ties, raw materials and hydrogen
The declaration endorses a shared roadmap for 2026–2028 that prioritises collaboration on industry, technology and critical raw materials. It frames actions to develop shared production capacity, expand domestic processing of vital minerals, raise local value added and strengthen supply-chain resilience. Those industrial objectives are linked to green hydrogen goals: hydrogen could provide low-carbon feedstocks or process heat for heavy industry, while reliable access to raw materials is important for producing electrolysers.
Although the declaration lists priorities, it does not specify project-level commitments, financing or delivery timetables beyond the 2026–2028 range. The roadmap therefore sets a policy envelope: it signals mutual intent to link industrial policy, raw-material processing and hydrogen, but concrete projects and capacity targets will need to be announced under the Energy Dialogue and by the institutions named in the declaration.
Regional climate, water cooperation and Green Central Asia
The presidents place the hydrogen and energy items alongside environmental cooperation, reflecting shared concern about climate impacts on water and ecosystems. The declaration invokes the Federal Government’s Green Central Asia initiative and calls for a regional environment and climate partnership between Central Asia and Germany, as envisaged in the Berlin Declaration of 11 February 2026 by the ministers of foreign affairs of Central Asia and Germany.
The text also records a specific sectoral partnership: cooperation between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the German trade association German Water Partnership. That pairing shows the declaration covers both energy-sector decarbonisation and cross-cutting resource management, which are material to hydrogen development because water availability and environmental safeguards affect electrolysis projects and siting decisions.
Research, skills and the Kazakh-German Future Forum
The declaration flags education, research and people-to-people links as part of the bilateral agenda, naming the Kazakh-German University in Almaty and proposing measures on academic mobility and vocational training. It also welcomes an initiative to establish a Kazakh-German Future Forum for young experts and professionals on topics including sustainable development, energy, digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
Two dated events anchor that strand: the presidents support holding the first Kazakh-German Future Forum in Saarland in the summer of 2027 and a possible follow-up forum in Kazakhstan in 2028. Those forums are presented as platforms for exchange on future-facing topics, which the declaration positions as complementary to the technical and industrial steps set out in the 2026–2028 roadmap.
How this can play out
The case for
- If the Kazakh-German Energy Dialogue and H2-diplo office convert intent into projects, the bilateral push could accelerate renewables, electrolyser deployment and industrial decarbonisation in Kazakhstan and create exportable low-carbon fuels for Europe.
- The 2026–2028 roadmap provides a defined policy window for coordinating industrial and raw-material work, which could shorten lead times for joint manufacturing and value-add activities if governments and private partners announce project-level commitments within that period.
The case against
- The declaration does not allocate project funding or set capacity targets, so progress will depend on follow-through by ministries and companies rather than on the joint statement itself.
- Expanding energy corridors such as Trans-Caspian links requires multilateral coordination beyond the two countries; delays or disagreements among third parties, including the European Union actors cited in the declaration, could slow hydrogen-related exports or transport projects.
What to be careful about
- The declaration commits to a roadmap for 2026 to 2028 but contains no project-level financing or capacity targets, leaving implementation uncertain.
- Green hydrogen projects can be constrained by water availability; the declaration links water and climate cooperation to the energy agenda, signalling this exposure but not resolving it.
- Transport and corridor expansion cited in the text (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) depends on multilateral infrastructure steps by Kazakhstan, Germany and the European Union, which introduces coordination risk.
The bottom line
Issued on 29–30 September 2026, the declaration situates green hydrogen within a wider bilateral agenda covering renewables, industrial policy and transport corridors. It designates the Kazakh–German Energy Dialogue and the Astana-based H2 diplomatic office as the cooperation platforms and establishes the 2026–2028 roadmap as the near-term policy window. The framework identifies scheduled forums — including a Saarland meeting in summer 2027 — but leaves decisions on project financing, capacity goals and precise implementation schedules to ministries, companies and the Dialogue. The next year will reveal whether the commitments yield tangible hydrogen projects.
What to watch
- Watch for the first Kazakh-German Future Forum in Saarland in the summer of 2027.
- Watch for a possible follow-up Kazakh-German Future Forum in Kazakhstan in 2028.
Frequently asked questions
What did the presidents announce about green hydrogen?
The joint declaration dated 29–30 September 2026 states that Kazakhstan and Germany will deepen collaboration on renewables, industrial decarbonisation and green hydrogen, to be advanced via the Kazakh–German Energy Dialogue and supported by an H2 diplomatic office in Astana.
What is the 2026–2028 roadmap mentioned in the declaration?
The roadmap emphasizes creating joint manufacturing capacities and expanding domestic processing of critical minerals that underpin the energy and hydrogen sectors.
When will the Kazakh-German Future Forum take place?
The presidents support holding the first Kazakh-German Future Forum in Saarland in the summer of 2027, with a possible follow-up forum in Kazakhstan in 2028.
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