India
PM Modi unveils plan to make India a global GH2 hub | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced his vision to make India a global hub for green hydrogen (GH2), building on the country’s achievement of becoming the first among the G20 economies to fulfil the green energy commitment made at the 2021 meeting. Paris UN Climate Conference (COP21) nine years ahead of 2030 target.
“We are not resting on our laurels and the nation continues to focus on strengthening existing solutions while also looking at new and innovative areas. This is where green hydrogen comes into the picture… We aim to position India as a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen. The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) launched in 2023 is a crucial step towards realizing this ambition. It will stimulate innovation, build infrastructure, boost industry growth and attract investments into the sector,” he said in his inaugural speech delivered virtually on the 2nd International Green Hydrogen Conference.
Modi pointed out that India’s installed non-fossil fuel capacity “has increased by 300% and solar capacity has seen a 3,000% boost” in the past 10 years. He said GH2 can help decarbonise heavy industries and long-haul transport. GH2 is produced by electrolysis using renewable energy rather than extraction from natural gas, which is called ‘grey’.
The rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity since 2014, when Modi first became prime minister, forms the basis for NGHM, which aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes of GH2 by 2030. The government is offering a production-linked incentive of Rs 13,050 crore for GH2 production and Rs 4,440 crore for electrolyser production. Green sources, including small and large hydro and nuclear, currently account for 45.5% of India’s total generation capacity of over 4.4 gigawatts (GW), but 60-70% of the electricity in the grid still comes from coal-fired power plants. In 2014, renewables accounted for about 15% of the total generation capacity of 2.5 GW.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s efforts to develop skills in the sector, as well as investments in cutting-edge research and development, industry-academia partnerships and encouragement of startups to tap the “great potential” for a “green jobs ecosystem” that GH2 offers.
Seeking greater global collaboration in the sector, Modi urged domain experts and the scientific community to “take the lead and work together”. Urging scientists and innovators to propose changes in government policies to further support the sector, he asked: “Can we improve the efficiency of electrolysers and other components in green hydrogen production? Can we explore the use of seawater and municipal wastewater for production?”
In his speech, the Minister of Renewable Energy said Pralhad Joshi said NGHM has the potential to attract Rs 8 lakh crore in investments, create six lakh jobs and lead to savings of Rs 1 lakh crore by reducing import of natural gas and ammonia. Oil Minister Hardeep Puri said NGHM will reduce 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
“We are not resting on our laurels and the nation continues to focus on strengthening existing solutions while also looking at new and innovative areas. This is where green hydrogen comes into the picture… We aim to position India as a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen. The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) launched in 2023 is a crucial step towards realizing this ambition. It will stimulate innovation, build infrastructure, boost industry growth and attract investments into the sector,” he said in his inaugural speech delivered virtually on the 2nd International Green Hydrogen Conference.
Modi pointed out that India’s installed non-fossil fuel capacity “has increased by 300% and solar capacity has seen a 3,000% boost” in the past 10 years. He said GH2 can help decarbonise heavy industries and long-haul transport. GH2 is produced by electrolysis using renewable energy rather than extraction from natural gas, which is called ‘grey’.
The rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity since 2014, when Modi first became prime minister, forms the basis for NGHM, which aims to achieve an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes of GH2 by 2030. The government is offering a production-linked incentive of Rs 13,050 crore for GH2 production and Rs 4,440 crore for electrolyser production. Green sources, including small and large hydro and nuclear, currently account for 45.5% of India’s total generation capacity of over 4.4 gigawatts (GW), but 60-70% of the electricity in the grid still comes from coal-fired power plants. In 2014, renewables accounted for about 15% of the total generation capacity of 2.5 GW.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s efforts to develop skills in the sector, as well as investments in cutting-edge research and development, industry-academia partnerships and encouragement of startups to tap the “great potential” for a “green jobs ecosystem” that GH2 offers.
Seeking greater global collaboration in the sector, Modi urged domain experts and the scientific community to “take the lead and work together”. Urging scientists and innovators to propose changes in government policies to further support the sector, he asked: “Can we improve the efficiency of electrolysers and other components in green hydrogen production? Can we explore the use of seawater and municipal wastewater for production?”
In his speech, the Minister of Renewable Energy said Pralhad Joshi said NGHM has the potential to attract Rs 8 lakh crore in investments, create six lakh jobs and lead to savings of Rs 1 lakh crore by reducing import of natural gas and ammonia. Oil Minister Hardeep Puri said NGHM will reduce 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
