International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy

Strategy

National Green Hydrogen Mission 2023 (Jan 2023)

Roadmap

Hydrogen - Roadmap (2018)

Updated November 2024

An additional capacity of 1500 MW per annum of electrolyser manufacturing has been awarded under Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme[1](Tranche II). The scheme guidelines for “implementation of SIGHT Programme – Component II: Incentive Scheme for Green Hydrogen Production (under Mode 1) – Tranche-II” was released by MNRE on 3rd July 2024. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) floated a Request for Selection (RfS) of Green Hydrogen Producers for Setting up Production Facilities for Green Hydrogen in India under the SIGHT Scheme (Mode-1-Tranche-II) on 11th July 2024. The RfS will have a total Green Hydrogen production capacity of 450,000 tonnes per annum (TPA).

On 7th June 2024, SECI floated RfS for selection of Green Ammonia producers for production and supply of Green Ammonia in India through cost-based competitive bidding under SIGHT Scheme Mode – 2A (Demand Aggregation of Green Ammonia). The RfS will have a total production capacity of 739,000 TPA. SECI shall be the Intermediary Procurer for procurement of Green Ammonia supplied by the Green Ammonia Producers and sale of such Green Ammonia to the Procurers (fertilizers) entirely on back-to-back basis, based on due performance by the Green Ammonia Producers as well as the Procurers. SECI shall enter into a Green Ammonia Purchase Agreement (GAPA) with the successful Bidder(s)/ producer(s) selected based on this RfS for purchase of Green Ammonia for a period of 10 years based on the terms, conditions and provisions of the RfS and GAPA. This RfS offers a key opportunity to aggregate demand and identify green ammonia producers through a transparent, competitive bidding process—an essential milestone in India's path toward sustainable energy solutions. Under SIGHT Mode-2B (Demand Aggregation of Green Hydrogen), a total production capacity of 200,000 TPA is allotted to refineries. The tenders for a total capacity of 42,000 TPA has been floated by various refineries so far.

The guidelines for setting up Hydrogen Hubs were notified on 15th March 2024 with a budget of USD 25 Million. These hubs will focus on developing the entire hydrogen value chain, including production, storage, transportation, and utilization. A Call for Proposal (CfP) for setting up Green Hydrogen Hubs in India was issued by SECI on 20th August 2024 and the tender is currently live.

The guidelines for scheme on skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling issued on 16th March 2024 and approx. 1082 participants have been trained and certified through various skill development initiatives. The scheme aims to develop skills of youth, considering the emerging employment opportunities in growing Green Hydrogen sector in India. The scheme shall focus on skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling to help develop an ecosystem for carrying out training covering key aspects of Green Hydrogen value chain in alignment with industry.

Also, the guidelines for funding testing facilities, infrastructure, and institutional support aimed at developing standards and regulatory frameworks was released on 4th July 2024. National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is the implementing agency of this scheme and floated a CfP on 16th August 2024 and the tender is currently live to participate.

A separate window has been created on the National Single Window System (NSWS) portal for approval of production plants of green hydrogen and its derivatives. The development of the National Single Window System (NSWS) portal by the government is a key step towards simplifying the process of obtaining approvals and licenses from various Ministries, Departments, and Regulatory Bodies[2].

The draft scheme for Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI) was published for stakeholder comments and the finalization of the scheme expected this year. The GHCI aims to provide a holistic framework for the measurement, monitoring, and certification of Green Hydrogen production in India. It emphasizes transparency, accountability, aligning with national energy transition and climate goals, contributing to the overall success of the NGHM.

[1] 1500 MW per annum of electrolyser manufacturing has been awarded under SIGHT scheme (Tranche-I) in January 2024. [2] NSWS portal serves as a one platform for all approvals and licenses to be issued by the relevant Ministry or Departments at both the Central and State levels.

Updated November 2024

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is actively driving the growth of Green Hydrogen technology in India through targeted research and development (R&D) initiatives. These efforts are critical in supporting the country's transition towards a sustainable hydrogen economy. The guidelines for the implementation of R&D Scheme was notified on 15th March 2024 with an outlay of USD 50 Million. MNRE issued a Call for Proposal under R&D Scheme on 16th March 2024, under which more than 400 proposals have been received that are currently under evaluation.

Updated November 2024

India has initiated three pilot projects to explore the feasibility of Green Hydrogen in the shipping, steel manufacturing, and transport sectors. This move marks a significant step toward demonstrating technical viability, building hydrogen infrastructure, and driving demand in these key hard-to-abate sectors. The government is supporting these pilots financially by providing capital expenditure grants for shipping and steel infrastructure enhancements and offering viability gap funding for hydrogen-powered vehicles and refueling stations.

· Transport Sector: Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) which is the concerned Scheme Implementing Agency issued an RfP on 19th February 2024 for Pilot Projects for use of Green Hydrogen in the Transport Sector. Under that 13 bids have been received and 7 bidders have qualified under technical evaluation criteria. A total 40 vehicles along with deployment of 11 Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (from 7 agencies) have been shortlisted for pilot projects.

· Steel Sector: On 12th June 2024, MECON Limited (Scheme Implementing Agency of Ministry of Steel) has issued a RfP for Green Hydrogen pilot projects to facilitate hydrogen injection in a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) plant, existing Blast Furnace, and existing DRI vertical shaft. Based on the evaluations of the proposals received, MNRE has sanctioned total three pilot projects in the steel sector. Another RfP for “Hydrogen injection in existing blast furnace and existing DRI vertical shaft” has been issued by MECON Limited on 7th October 2024.

· Shipping Sector: The following two components have been identified under this scheme:

A. Retrofitting of vessels

B. Establishment of Bunkering and Refueling Facility of Green Hydrogen

Under Component A of the scheme, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), the concerned Scheme Implementing Agency has selected ships for retrofitting and completed feasibility studies. Additionally, two bids have been received for selecting a designer to convert AHTS vessels to run on green methanol and are under evaluation. Under Component B, the tender for Consultancy (PMC) services to develop a Green Hydrogen bunkering and refuelling facility at V.O. Chidambaranar Port has been awarded.

So far approx. 1082 trainees have been trained and certified across various nationally approved qualifications under the skill development initiatives. Further, 34 qualifications across the value chain have been developed across the skill ecosystem and approved by National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), the National Skills Regulator.

Updated November 2024

MNRE has organized several key outreach activities to advance Green Hydrogen ecosystem in India. Highlights include World Hydrogen Day on 8th Oct, 2024, and the second International Conference on Green Hydrogen (11-13 Sep 2024, New Delhi), which drew over 8,500 participants and 240 speakers from across the globe. The conference featured 22 technical and 7 plenary sessions, CEO roundtables, a youth session, an exhibition, and a quiz competition. The next edition is tentatively scheduled for September 2025, marking a significant step toward establishing India as a global Green Hydrogen hub.

Additional initiatives included a Workshop on the National Green Hydrogen Mission (6th June, 2024) and a Workshop on Quality Control in Green Hydrogen: Standards & Testing Infrastructure (8th May, 2024). India also hosted the 41st IPHE Steering Committee Meeting in New Delhi (March 18-22, 2024) and showcased its Green Hydrogen ecosystem at the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam, demonstrating India’s readiness to export Green Hydrogen globally. India will also be participating as an Exclusive Partner Country in the European Hydrogen Week, being organized from 18-22 November, 2024.

It is also important to note that the 41st Steering Committee of IPHE convened during 18-22 March 2024 at New Delhi deliberated on global Green Hydrogen initiatives, reviewing efforts from platforms like the Glasgow Breakthrough Agenda, Hydrogen Energy Ministerial, Clean Energy Ministerial, H2 Initiative, and COP28. The committee explored opportunities to collaborate with these initiatives to align with IPHE’s goals. Progress updates from IPHE working groups (WGs) on "Regulations, Codes, Standards & Safety (RCSS)" and "Education & Outreach" were shared, along with suggestions for advancing task forces (TFs) on "Hydrogen Skills," "Hydrogen Production Analysis," "Hydrogen Certification Mechanisms," and "Hydrogen Trade Rules." The role of the WTO in facilitating hydrogen trade was also highlighted during the meeting. The committee also reviewed IPHE’s vision and outlined its short- and medium-term roadmap.

Updated November 2024

India has made significant strides in promoting the production and use of Green Hydrogen which has the potential to revolutionize various sectors. A comprehensive set of incentive schemes has been designed under NGHM to stimulate investment and innovation in the Green Hydrogen sector (Table 1).

Table 1: NGHM outlay

S. No. Name of Component Financial Outlay

1 SIGHT programme USD 2.1 Billion

1.1 Incentives for Electrolyzer Manufacturing USD 55 Million

1.2 Incentives for Green Hydrogen production USD 1.64 Billion

2 Pilot Projects USD 175 Million

3 Hydrogen Hubs USD 25 Million

4 Research and Development USD 50 Million

5 Testing Infrastructure USD 25 Million

6 Other Mission components (Emerging Technology, Awareness, Skill development)

USD 50 Million

Total USD 2.4 Billion

The Mission is also supported by a range of state level policies which are crucial to mobilize investment and to achieve NGHM targets by 2030.

Updated November 2024

A strong framework of Regulations, Codes, and Standards (RCS) is essential for the development of the Green Hydrogen ecosystem. To initiate this, MNRE has constituted a Working Group (WG) comprising members (Fig 2) from relevant ministries and government agencies, standardization bodies, and industry stakeholders. The Working Group has six sub-groups (Fig 3) to work on different aspects of the green hydrogen value chain. A total of 152 standards have been recommended and 81 have been published by various associated organisations. The status of the standards development and adoption is illustrated in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Status of the standards development and adoption

Organization Number of Standards recommended Action Taken

Published/ Under Publication In Review

New Standards Under development

BIS 79 41 7 1+30

PESO 43 16 3 24

OISD 3 1 NA 2

PNGRB 36 17 1 18

MoRTH 7 6 1 0

Total 152*(some standards are common 81 12 75

to different agencies)

None.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)

None.

Last updated December 2020

Indian Statement (PDF); 34th Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual, 1 - 4 December 2020

Indian Statement (PDF); 33nd Steering Committee Meeting; Virtual, 16 - 19 June 2020

Indian Statement (PDF); 32nd Steering Committee Meeting; Seoul, Republic of Korea; October 21-25, 2019

Indian Statement(PDF); 31st Steering Committee Meeting; Vienna, Austria; April 9-12, 2019

Indian Statement (PDF); 30th Steering Committee Meeting; Pretoria, South Africa; December 6, 2018

Indian Statement (PDF); 28th Steering Committee Meeting; Netherlands; November 20-23, 2017

Indian Statement (PDF); 27th Steering Committee Meeting; Hamburg, Germany; April 25-28, 2017

Indian Statement(PDF); 26th Steering Committee Meeting; Gwangju, Republic of Korea; November 1-4, 2016

Indian Statement (PDF 185KB); 25th Steering Committee Meeting; Berkeley, CA, USA; May 17-20, 2016

Indian Statement (PDF 55KB): 24th Steering Committee Meeting; Grenoble, France; 1-3 December 2015

Indian Statement (PDF 881KB); 21st Steering Committee Meeting; Oslo, Norway; 19-21 May 2014

Indian Statement (PDF 723KB); 19th Steering Committee Meeting; London, United Kingdom; 23-24 May 2013

Indian Statement (PDF 1.72MB); 18th Steering Committee Meeting; Seville, Spain; 14 November 2012

Indian Statement (PDF 897KB); Steering Committee Meeting; Sao Paulo, Brazil; 24-25 April 2007

Indian Statement (PDF 1.03MB); Steering Committee Meeting; Kyoto, Japan; 14-15 September 2005

Ministerial Statement (PDF 103KB); IPHE Inaugural Ministerial Meeting; Washington, D.C.; 20 Nov 2003

Contact: Dr. P.C.Maithani, Adviser, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy | pcmaithani@nic.in

Contact: Joint Secretary Ajay Yadav - yad.ajay@ias.nic.in