- India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) co-hosted a panel discussion with Climate Collective on
‘StartUp Opportunities in India’s Green Hydrogen Ecosystem’, as part of Climate StartUp Week 2024 initiative. Moderated by IH2A, the discussion was with Rajan Anandan, Managing Director Peak XV Partners, Rochan Sinha, Co-founder & CTO Newtrace (IH2A Member) and Suruchi Rao, CEO & Co-founder Ossus Biorenewables. Link - Harvard's Belfer Center acknowledged India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) as a successful cooperative model between industry, academia, and government, accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy in its report titled, 'India - The New Global Green Hydrogen Powerhouse?' Link
POLICY & MARKET DEVELOPMENTS
- Industry giants form consortiums for GH2 transport pilot: Reliance Industries (partnering with Ashok Leyland and Daimler India), Tata Motors (with IOCL), and Ashok Leyland (with NTPC) are likely to bid for the government's USD 59 million pilot project on green/grey hydrogen in the transport sector. The project aims to deploy hydrogen-powered vehicles, address operational challenges, and identify gaps in technology, infrastructure, and supply chains. Winning bidders will receive funds to bridge the viability gap, with learnings eventually supporting the broader adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles and refuelling technologies. Link
- ARAI receives bids for GH2 transport pilot projects: The Automotive Research Association of India has received 13 technical bids for pilot projects aimed at promoting the use of green hydrogen in the transport sector. With an allocation of USD 59 million until 2025-26, the bidding consortiums include OEMs, hydrogen fuel suppliers, distributors, and other partners. The initiative seeks to establish ‘Hydrogen Highways’ on major routes, including Chandigarh- Delhi-Jaipur, Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune, Chennai-Hosur-Bengaluru, Kolkata-Jamshedpur- Ranchi, and Nagpur-Indore. Link
- IREDA in GIFT City: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency’s (IREDA) new office in GIFT City will offer foreign currency loans for green hydrogen and renewable energy projects, significantly reducing financing costs. This strategic move supports India's clean energy ambitions, particularly with the massive energy storage requirement of 400 GWh by 2030, necessitating investments exceeding USD 42 billion. Link
- GH2 hub at Kandla: RIL, L&T, Greenko Group, and Welspun New Energy are collaborating to establish green hydrogen and green ammonia units at Gujarat's Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla. The project, estimated to attract investments of up to USD 12 billion , has been allocated 14 plots totalling 4,000 acres of land by DPA. The Kandla port aims to produce 7 MTPA of green ammonia and 1.4 MTPA of green hydrogen by 2030. Link
- IFFCO partners with ACME for green ammonia: Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has partnered with ACME to source 200,000 tons of green ammonia for fertilizer production. ACME will utilize renewable energy at its Odisha plant and leverage carbon credits under the Paris Agreement. This green ammonia will be used in IFFCO's facilities for manufacturing complex fertilizers. Link
- Indian Oil revamps Panipat green hydrogen tender: Indian Oil Corporation relaunched tenders for its maiden green hydrogen plant in Panipat after cancelling the previous one in February 2024 due to allegations of discriminatory clauses favouring IOCL's joint venture. The revised tender, issued in March, removes the controversial ‘Right of first refusal’ clause but introduces stricter qualification criteria. These include a mandatory 26% minimum stake ownership for each member in JVs/consortiums, increased hydrogen-handling experience from 5 KTPA to 500 KTPA, and higher financial requirements of USD 31 million minimum average annual turnover and USD 18 million minimum average net worth. Link
- Varanasi, pilot location for green hydrogen fuel cell inland vessels: Varanasi has been selected as the pilot location for deploying green hydrogen fuel cell inland vessels on National Waterways-I. Discussions are underway with potential players for facilities such as bunkering. Methanol is also being actively considered as a key green fuel for EXIM vessels globally. Additionally, the government is exploring ways to develop methanol marine engines domestically for a cleaner future of inland waterways. Link
- ACME partners with Hydrogenious LOHC technologies: ACME Group has signed an MoU with Germany's Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies to explore the creation of a large-scale hydrogen supply chain from Oman to Europe, with potential future expansion to the USA. The partnership aims to utilize Hydrogenious' liquid organic hydrogen carriers’ technology for the transportation of hydrogen. The collaboration seeks to supply green hydrogen to European industrial off-takers and the energy and mobility sectors, leveraging existing liquid fuel infrastructure. Link
- ReNew partners with JERA to develop green ammonia project in India: ReNew Energy has signed an initial agreement with JERA Co, Japan's largest power generation company, to jointly evaluate the development of a green ammonia production project in Paradip, Odisha. This project will use 500 MW renewable energy to produce 100,000 tons of green ammonia annually by 2030, with JERA having the right to purchase it for Japan. A joint study will be conducted to determine the project's feasibility. Link
- LTech UVC, ACME partner to establish USD 3 billion green hydrogen ammonia plant:
South Korean green hydrogen company LTech UVC is collaborating with India's ACME Group to enter the Indian market with a green hydrogen ammonia plant, which will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons. The project is valued at USD3 billion. Additionally, LTech UVC plans to import green hydrogen produced by ACME into South Korea. Link - IBA, HAI partner to promote bio-blended energy solutions: The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) and the Hydrogen Association of India (HAI) have signed an MoU to promote bio-based energy solutions in India, with special focus on blue and green hydrogen. The alliance aims to facilitate training, capacity building, and policy advocacy to advance sustainable energy initiatives and reduce India's reliance on imported energy sources. Link
- Gujarat allocates additional land for green hydrogen production: Gujarat allocated an additional 63,000 hectares of land for green hydrogen production in Kutch, Banaskantha, and Patan, bringing the total to 2.62 lakh hectares. Major players like Reliance, Adani, Torrent Power, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, and Welspun Group have already received land parcels for their green hydrogen projects, with Reliance and Adani announcing significant investments in the sector. Link
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
- Japan to produce hydrogen from next-generation nuclear reactor waste heat: Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has passed a safety test on its High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR) and plans to produce hydrogen using waste heat from the plant by 2028. The HTGR, an ultra-safe nuclear reactor reaching 870°C, will use the sulphur-iodine cycle to produce "pink" hydrogen. JAEA aims to scale up the reactor from 30MW to 250MW, potentially powering 200,000 fuel-cell vehicles annually, with the government leading the project until commercial readiness. Link
- EU updates Emissions Trading System: The EU has updated its Emissions Trading System, granting free allowances to green hydrogen, steel, and ammonia producers from 2025. The number of credits, currently worth USD 64.8-USD 108 per tonne of CO2, will be determined by a benchmark based on the top 10% best performers in each category. Link
- Japan debates USD 19 billion clean hydrogen subsidy bill: Japan’s government is considering investing USD 19 billion in clean hydrogen subsidies, with plans to set two reference prices based on grey hydrogen and coal or natural gas. The split in reference prices is likely related to whether projects supply hydrogen or ammonia as an end-product. However, critics argue that using coal as a reference price for ammonia co-firing could lead to higher government payouts and potentially fewer subsidized projects. Link
- Biden to remove green hydrogen from power sector emissions plan: Due to concerns over technology readiness, the administration plans to remove green hydrogen from its power sector emissions reduction plan. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to release the final rule soon, which initially included green hydrogen and carbon capture technology standards. Removing green hydrogen may strengthen the rule's legal defensibility, and the administration aims to finalize it before the November election to prevent potential reversal. Link
- German steel industry casts doubts about green hydrogen transition: Top executives from Germany's leading steel companies, including Salzgitter AG, Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA, and ArcelorMittal S.A., have raised concerns about the feasibility of using green hydrogen in their EU steel mills, despite securing billions in subsidies. Industry leaders have highlighted that the higher costs associated with the shift to green hydrogen may result in price premiums that customers are unwilling to pay, and have emphasized the challenges in converting blast furnaces without disrupting production. Link