NEW DELHI: The Indian government opened the International Conference on Green Hydrogen in New Delhi on Wednesday, bringing together thousands of energy transition leaders, industry experts and innovators to discuss strategies to scale-up green hydrogen production.
Green hydrogen is emerging as a future alternative to fossil fuels throughout the world, and developing technologies to produce it is part of India’s flagship initiatives.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video speech opening the three-day conference that India sought to position itself as a “global hub for the production, utilization and export of green hydrogen” under its National Green Hydrogen Mission.
“India is fully committed to building a cleaner, greener planet. We were the first among G20 nations to meet our Paris Agreement commitments on green energy, well ahead of schedule. While we continue to strengthen existing solutions, we are also focused on embracing new and innovative approaches,” Modi said.
“Green hydrogen is one such breakthrough, with the potential to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors like refineries, fertilizers, steel and heavy-duty transportation.”
Also known as renewable hydrogen, green hydrogen can be used as fuel and is produced from the electrolysis of water. The process does not generate polluting carbon emissions but is currently very expensive.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched in 2023, aims to reduce production costs and increase the scale of the industry by 2030, as it targets the production of 5 million tons of green hydrogen generating 125 GW of power a year.
It is expected to cut about 50 million tons of annual carbon emissions, as the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The plan is also forecast to help reduce India’s dependence on fossil fuels.
New and Renewable Energy Minister Prahlad Venkatesh Joshi said during the conference that India would also cut fuel import costs.
“This mission not only has the potential to attract INR 8 lakh crore ($95.3 billion) in investments and generate 6 lakh jobs (600,000) but will also significantly reduce reliance on imported natural gas and ammonia, leading to savings of INR 1 lakh crore ($11.9 billion),” he told the audience.
The conference, first held last year, aims to be a forum connecting all those involved in creating the ecosystem of green hydrogen — users, producers, policymakers and financiers.
Dr. Umish Srivastava, executive director for alternative energy at the Indian Oil Corporation, an Indian multinational under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, displayed a model bus powered by green hydrogen developed at the company’s research center.
“We produced this hydrogen using electrolysis. In our research center, we also have a project where we are converting compressed biogas into green hydrogen. We’re also putting up a plant for converting biomass directly to hydrogen,” Srivastava told Arab News.
“Green hydrogen is a very promising fuel of the future.”
Another clean-energy vehicle — a heavy-duty, long-haul truck powered by hydrogen gas — was showcased by Abhilash Savindhan from Reliance Industries.
“Exhaust gas from this vehicle is primarily water, water vapor, and some traces of nitrogen,” he said. “If you compare this with a diesel vehicle, this is near zero emissions, and it’s also very silent.”
Ronak Sani, manager of ReNew, one of India’s largest independent power producers, presented the company’s first project producing green ammonia, scheduled to be commissioned in the next few years.
“We are effectively decarbonizing the world, ensuring the future of new generations,” he said. “This conference allows us to initiate those discussions.”
Varun Desai, manager of Xynteo, which runs the Energy Leap platform connecting green hydrogen companies with the commercial market, saw India’s potential in the field.
India is very well positioned in terms of access to renewable resources, especially solar, wind, hydro ... There’s a lot of potential to generate clean electricity at a low cost, which inputs into the hydrogen production environment as well,” he said.
“I think the policy is there in terms of enabling the adoption of green hydrogen. I think they’re heading in the right direction.”
