Union Cabinet Approves National Green Hydrogen Mission

Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shri Shripad Yesso Naik submitted a written reply in Rajya Sabha, stating that the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), with the objective to make India a global hub of production, usage, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.

The mission document envisages a whole-of-government approach by assigning specific activities to the respective departments, such as:

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), for overall coordination and implementation of NGHM;
Ministry of Power, to implement policies and regulations to ensure delivery of renewable energy for Green Hydrogen production at the lowest possible cost;
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, to facilitate uptake of Green Hydrogen in refineries and city gas distribution;
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, to encourage adoption of indigenous green ammonia-based fertilizers for progressively replacing imports;
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, to enable adoption of green hydrogen in the transport sector;
Ministry of Steel, to drive adoption of green hydrogen in the steel sector;
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, to drive the adoption of hydrogen/derivatives (ammonia/methanol) as propulsion fuel for ships and facilitate development of the required infrastructure for making India a green hydrogen/derivative refueling hub.
Ministry of Finance, explore suitable fiscal and financial frameworks for green hydrogen and its derivatives;
Ministry of Commerce & Industry to encourage investments, facilitate ease of doing business, and implement specific policy measures for hydrogen and its derivatives;
Ministry of Railways to work on transitioning towards adoption of green hydrogen in their operations
Scientific departments and agencies, including MNRE, the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Space, the Defence Research & Development Organisation, the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, and other public research and innovation institutions, pool resources to build a comprehensive goal-oriented research and innovation program.
Ministry of External Affairs, to facilitate development of bilateral and multilateral partnerships for supporting the Green Hydrogen ecosystem development;
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to take steps for building skill sets for this sector;
State governments and state agencies also play an integral role in the development of green hydrogen ecosystems by developing policies to facilitate the establishment of green hydrogen projects.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued the scheme guidelines for implementation of pilot projects for use of green hydrogen in the transport sector under NGHM. Five (5 nos.) pilot projects have been sanctioned for the deployment of 37 hydrogen-fueled vehicles with 9 hydrogen refueling stations across 10 different routes across India.

MNRE has also issued the scheme guidelines for implementation of pilot projects for use of green hydrogen in the shipping sector under NGHM. Under this, V. O. Chidambaranar Port Authority has awarded a project for the development of bunkering and refueling facilities for green methanol at the port.

MNRE has recognized Deendayal Port (Kandla, Gujarat), V. O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu), and Paradip Port (Odisha) as green hydrogen hubs under NGHM.

Further, the guidelines issued by MNRE for the recognition of green hydrogen hubs cover the development of common infrastructure facilities, including storage and transportation systems for green hydrogen and its derivatives, as well as the establishment or upgrade of associated pipeline networks.

MNRE has also endorsed the proposal by NTPC for setting up the Green Hydrogen Hub at Pudimadaka, Andhra Pradesh.

The government of Andhra Pradesh has issued an order for establishing the state as India’s largest green hydrogen hub and outlining a roadmap to transform Andhra Pradesh into a Green Hydrogen Valley by 2030.