Hyrasia One – A German-Kazakh Project
Using Hydrogen to Store Green Electricity
Hyrasia One is not only one of the ten biggest green hydrogen projects in the world, it is also one of the most advanced in terms of planning maturity, having successfully completed the preliminary design phase, known as pre-FEED, in 2024. Starting in 2032, two million tons of green hydrogen (H2) are to be produced and turned into eleven million tons of green ammonia (NH3) annually in Kazakhstan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Fichtner is supporting this project with a wide range of services, from reviewing the initial planning and estimating project costs to conducting detailed studies on the impact on nature and the environment.
H2 – A Key to the Energy Transition
Green hydrogen is considered to be one of the key elements of the energy transition. But so far, the capacities for climate-neutral hydrogen production have been low. We at Fichtner are therefore particularly pleased to be involved as owner’s engineer and environmental consultant in the Hyrasia One project, an ambitious endeavor by the SVEVIND Energy Group from Dresden. It plans to build electrolysis plants with a planned annual production of two million tons of green hydrogen in the Kazakh administrative region of Mangystau. This choice of region offers several compelling advantages: It is already industrially developed (the region is a center of Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry), and the water required for electrolysis can be taken from the Caspian Sea and desalinated. The required water volume of 50 million cubic meters per year is relatively low compared to the water inflow into the Caspian Sea and amounts to only 0.016 percent – an amount that, although not negligible, is reasonable given the positive environmental impact of saving approximately 11.5 million tons of CO2 per year*. The Kazakh government came to the same conclusion when it signed an investment agreement with the SVEVIND Energy Group in 2022 that ensures access to water and land resources, among other things.
Since the core of Hyrasia One is the production of green hydrogen, the Fichtner Hydrogen team was entrusted with the project management for the pre-FEED study. This study will serve to optimally prepare the project for the subsequent engineering and execution phases. We reviewed the existing plans not only with regard to the water and process engineering for the electrolysis and ammonia production plants, but also in many other areas from on-site power generation to logistics.
*) Based on ammonia production of 11 million tons per year as an equivalent to natural gas as energy carrier. CO2 emissions from natural gas according to the CO2 factors information sheet issued by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control.
https://www.bafa.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Energie/eew_infoblatt_co2_faktoren_2021.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&
Fichtner’s Network of Expertise
A project like Hyrasia One is multifaceted. All important components need to be considered in conjunction with each other during the conceptual design and subsequent pre-FEED planning phase, from the energy supply to the logistics of climate-neutral hydrogen and ammonia production. Changes to one component often affect the others.
In line with the scope of the components, many of our experts are involved in the Hyrasia One project. These include teams for renewable energies, power grids, I&C and process engineering, civil and water engineering, as well as a team for occupational health & safety and environmental protection. The various disciplines are coordinated by the project management team, which in the case of Hyrasia One is based in our Hydrogen department. This department possesses expertise in electrolysis plants and also has specialist knowledge of cryogenic tank and pipeline construction.
Green Hydrogen Needs Green Electricity
On-site power generation is a key aspect, as the production of climate-neutral hydrogen through electrolysis requires electricity generated from renewable sources. The Mangystau region offers particularly favorable conditions for generating wind and solar power. The planned electrolysis plants will require up to 20 gigawatts (GW) of electrical power at full load, and this demand is to be met by hybrid power plants at five different sites.
Wind farms and large-scale solar PV power plants are to be built at five different sites to generate green electricity for water treatment and electrolysis.
(Pictures: SVEVIND Energy Group)
Self-Sufficient Energy Supply with Reserve Capacity
The plan is to combine wind power and solar photovoltaics (PV) at each site. Together, the generation plants will supply up to 40 GW of nominal power, providing sufficient reserve capacity to ensure autonomous supply to the electrolysis plants even under unfavorable weather conditions.
Two-thirds of the electrical power, i.e. 27 GW, is to be provided by around 5,000 wind turbines in the Mangystau steppe, where favorable winds blow all year round. Solar PV power plants would contribute up to 13 GW, with PV modules covering a total area of around 150 km² to generate this output.
A dedicated network of overhead power lines will transport the green electricity generated on site to a location near the port city of Kuryk, where it is planned to install the electrolysis and seawater desalination plants. During electrolysis, desalinated seawater will be split into its constituent parts, namely hydrogen and oxygen. To enable the green energy stored in the form of hydrogen to be transported efficiently, the plan is to use the Haber-Bosch process to synthesize green ammonia (NH3) from green hydrogen and from nitrogen in the air (see text box).
Ammonia as a Transport Medium
Ammonia (NH3) is an important commodity chemical that is of great significance for the fertilizer industry, for example, but can also serve as a transport medium for hydrogen produced by climate-friendly means. In the Haber-Bosch process, a large-scale industrial chemical process for ammonia synthesis, nitrogen (from a renewable energy-powered air separation plant) reacts with green hydrogen to form what is known as green ammonia. This can be used directly as fuel or a base chemical, or it can be split in crackers to make the hydrogen available again.
Since ammonia is gaseous at normal atmospheric pressure and at temperatures above -33 °C, it is liquefied and thus compressed for transport. This reduces its volume to about one thousandth while maintaining the same weight. Although ammonia production and liquefaction consume energy, the transport costs are significantly lower than they are for transporting hydrogen if the hydrogen cannot be transported to the customer in large quantities via a hydrogen pipeline. One reason for this is that liquefying ammonia requires much less energy than the otherwise necessary liquefaction of hydrogen. What’s more, transport and storage containers for liquid ammonia are cheaper because the required storage temperature of just -33 °C is significantly higher than the -253 °C needed to store liquid hydrogen.
Technical and Economic Review and Consulting by Fichtner
Fichtner reviewed the concept to determine whether the initial planning is feasible, reflects the state of the art, and meets the complex requirements of the project. This included analyzing all aspects from plant safety to economic viability. In this context, our experts examined the possibility of alternative methods, such as other power transmission technologies, which could potentially be more effective. The preliminary design of the seawater desalination plant was also reviewed. Finally, our team calculated the estimated project costs based on the available pre-FEED planning.
For our next task, the future planning and optimization of the electrical network, we went into more detail. Renewable energy will be generated at five sites, which together could match the total electricity output of a country like Denmark. This requires high-capacity overhead lines, powerful transformers, a high degree of transmission reliability, and consideration of many other aspects. One special feature is that it will be an independent, separate network – what is known as an island solution.
Hydrogen produced from green electricity makes climate-friendly energy available at a later time and in other locations, as the hydrogen tanks basically store the energy from the sun and wind.
(Pictures: SVEVIND Energy Group)
Minimizing the Impact on Nature and the Environment
The studies conducted in 2024 by Fichtner’s Environment International department focus on the impacts of the Hyrasia One project on nature and the environment. Our environmental experts conducted a thorough assessment and worked with local partners to gather precise data. Close coordination with other Fichtner departments is essential in this, since decisions such as the selection of water extraction points for seawater desalination or the planning of power lines from the power plant parks to the coast can have a significant impact on the environment. Attention was also paid to the consequences for marine organisms of wastewater being discharged from the desalination plant back into the Caspian Sea. Assessing all these influences is crucial because it is extremely important to the SVEVIND Energy Group to minimize the environmental impact.
The need to carefully weigh technical possibilities against nature conservation and environmental protection concerns is particularly evident when selecting power plant sites. For example, the wind farms whose turbines have a hub height of 150 m or more above ground level may pose a potential hazard to birds. Also, the solar PV plants cover large areas of many square kilometers and require numerous fixings in the ground. The road and power network required for the project, as well as the temporary construction sites, will inevitably have an impact on the environment as well.
The preferred areas were examined in more detail as part of studies because the impact on the environment is to be kept to a minimum.
When selecting the sites, areas that are under nature conservation or located on relevant migratory bird routes were initially excluded. The remaining areas (preferred areas) were examined in detail in further studies. Among other things, ornithologists tracked the presence and activity of birds, other specialists observed local bat populations, and another team studied the flora of the area. Given the very large scale of the solar PV plants and wind farms, a large number of locations need to be analyzed for each potential power plant site in order to ensure meaningful results.
A detailed survey of the offshore area was also carried out to determine the initial conditions in the Caspian Sea project area. That study examined both marine fauna and flora as well as water quality and characteristics. The environmental impact assessment is now at an advanced stage, with initial results expected in the course of 2025.
June 2025
Featured image: SVEVIND Energy Group
Project website: Hyrasia One | Connecting for a bigger Good
Melanie Siems
Head of the Environment International Department
Dr. Ing. Andreas Reischke
Project Manager in the Hydrogen Department
