India targets 5 mn tonnes hydrogen fuel by 2030

Bengaluru: Dr VK Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog, stated on Friday that the current emphasis is on reducing imports for hydrogen production in the country.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Saraswat said, “Work is underway in various sectors regarding hydrogen fuel. Our current target is to achieve 5 million metric tonnes of hydrogen fuel by 2030. So far, we have not assessed how far we have reached, but we are moving in that direction.”

He stated that research and development efforts are focussed on minimising imports for hydrogen production. Research and Development is underway on hydrogen charging stations, manufacturing high-pressure cylinders, and other related areas.

“The Indian government has launched the Hydrogen Mission at a cost of Rs19,200 crore. The objective is to utilise hydrogen in different sectors. Plants have already been established for hydrogen production. More and more electrolyzer units are being set up, and using these electrolyzers, hydrogen plants — specifically green hydrogen plants — are being developed,” he said.

“Three Hydrogen Valley projects have been launched under this mission. One is a 50 megawatt plant, followed by a 100 megawatt plant, and later a 500 megawatt capacity plant. We have involved industries under a challenge mode, and they are being developed in different regions of the country,” Saraswat added.

For hydrogen production, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited proposals under challenge mode to create hydrogen production facilities. Many industries are importing electrolyzers and producing hydrogen. Clean hydrogen is already being produced in the country, he said.

Some plants are using solar energy for green hydrogen, while others are using grid energy. Hydrogen produced using solar energy is called green hydrogen. The government is providing subsidies for those setting up electrolyzer plants, as well as for those establishing fuel cell plants, he added.