Abstract
Kazakhstan’s drive to decarbonise and its chronic freshwater scarcity highlight the need to employ desalinated seawater and treated wastewater in “green” hydrogen production. The study identifies legal gaps and proposes regulatory tools that will facilitate the use of non-traditional water resources in electrolysers and accelerate development of the hydrogen sector. By linking water-management and energy policy it demonstrates how missing rules can stall technological deployment even where the market is ready. The methodology combines a comparative legal review of Kazakh water, environmental and energy statutes, a content analysis of strategic documents and case studies from the EU, Australia and Japan. Findings reveal the absence of licensing, unified quality standards and monitoring duties for secondary water; amendments to the Water Code, differentiated environmental norms and tax incentives are therefore recommended. The proposed legal architecture simultaneously reduces freshwater stress and the carbon footprint. Insights support ministries, investors and municipalities when designing hydrogen hubs, issuing “green certificates” and positioning domestic fuel on global markets.