Hydropower-rich Tajikistan plans to produce 1 million metric tons of green hydrogen by 2040 for usage at home and exports to neighboring Central Asian countries, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Juma told Reuters in an interview in Tokyo, Japan on September 25.
Juma, who visited Japan to attend a Tokyo energy transition event, said that Tajikistan planned to have 10 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
"We are fully dependent on oil product imports… and are developing a road map for producing green hydrogen," Juma told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference.
Hydropower generates nearly all electricity of the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan and which imports the bulk of its oil product needs from Russia. According to the International Energy Agency, Tajikistan's hydro potential is exploited at around 4.0 percent.
Tajikistan plans to produce 500,000 tons of green hydrogen by 2030 and to double that figure by 2040 thanks to 'affordable competitive electric power', said Juma, with 75% of that potentially aimed for exports to Central Asian countries using fossil fuels.
But as climate change has seen Tajikistan's glaciers melting, the country wants to have 10% of its electricity coming from sources other than hydropower, including from solar and wind, by 2030, to diversify electric power sources, Juma added.
He, however, did not elaborate on the financial details of the green hydrogen production plans, Reuters said.
Green hydrogen is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy. The carbon intensity ultimately depends on the carbon neutrality of the source of electricity (i.e., the more renewable energy there is in the electricity fuel mix, the "greener" the hydrogen produced). In addition, green hydrogen is a clean energy source that only emits water vapor and leaves no residue in the air, unlike coal and oil. Hydrogen has a long-standing relationship with industry. This gas has been used to fuel cars, airships and spaceships since the beginning of the 19th century.
The 3rd Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting took place in Tokyo on September 25, 2023 under the theme of “Upgrading the linkage between Policy, Finance, Industry, and Academia for Energy Transition.” In light of Asia’s diverse geographical conditions and varied energy needs, participants reportedly recognized the importance of balancing both the region’s decarbonization and sustainable growth, and expressed their shared commitment to support green, pragmatic and effective energy transition with sufficient information in the region. Participants affirmed the importance of transition finance in accelerating energy transition in Asia and the expectation in global financial markets for credible transition plans and for science-based and quantitative pathways including national ones that are critical for the development of the transition plan. Furthermore, in order to tackle the complex and multi-faceted challenges towards green economy and sustainable development, participants acknowledged the need for dialogues among different sectors including public authorities, private industries, and financial institutions, and the potential role of research institutions as not only providers of diverse and realistic perspectives but also facilitators to encourage cooperation among stakeholders.
Besides, Daler Juma also participated in the first meeting of Economy and Energy Ministers of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue that took place in Tokyo on September 26. According to Tajikistan’s Embassy in Tokyo, the parties discussed issues related to a Net-Zero society in Japan and Central Asia, policies for the energy transition as well as implementation of potential energy transition projects with participation of Japan.
