EIB backs green hydrogen deployment in India and joins IH2A: Kris Peeters, Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the European Union, joined the India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) in February and increased support for large-scale green hydrogen hubs and projects across India with an indicative funding of EUR 1 billion, subject to Indian Government and EIB approvals. Link

POLICY & MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

• Essar to invest $3.6 bn in energy transition in India, UK: Essar Group announced the formation of Essar Energy Transition (EET) which will invest $3.6 billion in developing a range of low carbon energy transition projects over the next five years in India and the UK. EET will invest $2.4 billion across its site at Stanlow, between Liverpool and Manchester and $1.2 billion in developing a cost-efficient global supply hub for low carbon fuels in India. Link

• Greenko orders 28 electrolysers from John Cockerill in hydrogen push: Greenko Group has said that Belgium’s John Cockerill will supply 28 units of 5MW alkaline electrolysers to the company for use in its green ammonia plant in Una, Himachal Pradesh. The electrolyser units that will be installed at the Una site will enable hydrogen production capacity of 140MW through high-pressure alkaline electrolysis. Link

• PMC to set up India's first waste-to-hydrogen plant in Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has set up the country's first solid waste-to-hydrogen plant at a cost of over INR 430 crore. Private firm TheGreenBillions Ltd (TGBL) has entered into a 30-year-long agreement with PMC and will set up the plant at Hadapsar Industrial Estate in Pune. TGBL chairman and founder Prateek Kanakia said that the plant will treat 350 tonnes of solid garbage every day and produce 10 tonnes of hydrogen daily. Link

• India to Partner with Fraunhofer ISE on Hydrogen and Clean Energy Tech: The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Eraunhofer ISE) have signed a letter of intent for a long-term collaboration focusing on hydrogen and other clean technologies. The partnership aims to integrate the interventions with indigenous technologies and deploy or calibrate them for Indian conditions. The largest portion of the funding is earmarked for the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT) program. Link

• Indian Railways set to float tender for 35 hydrogen trains: In a bid to fast-track India's transition to hydrogen trains, the Indian Railways is set to float tenders for procuring 35 trains powered by the green fuel. The Indian transporter has reportedly held meeting with major players including Siemens, Cummins, Hitachi, BHEL and Medha Servo, with multiple manufacturers showing interest. Link

• Gas pipelines to soon be tested for hydrogen-carrying potential: IOCL's natural gas pipelines will soon be tested for their ability to carry hydrogen, as part of the push to reduce the carbon intensity of the delivered fuel. IOCL is scouting for a technology partner to transfer the production technology for manufacturing green hydrogen and plans to quickly scale up its aviation fuel exports. It has signed an agreement with US-based Lanzajet to produce cleaner aviation fuel at its Panipat refinery in north India and is aiming to tie up with private sector entities for a range of requirements. Link

• Ocior Energy signs MoU with Gujarat govt to invest INR 40,000 cr: The Gujarat government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ocior Energy India Pvt Ltd. for the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia. As per the MoU, signed in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Ocior Energy will invest INR 40,000 crore in Kutch district of Gujarat to set up a facility to produce 1 million tonnes of green hydrogen and ammonia per annum. Link

• Ashok Leyland and RIL unveil India’s first hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck: Ashok Leyland, along with RIL, has developed a new hydrogen-powered truck to make India's alternate fuel segment self-reliant and become one of the flag bearers of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign. The H2-ICE heavy-duty truck range is powered by Hydrogen fuel and is based on its conventional diesel-based combustion engine. Link

• Total’s decision to pause Adani hydrogen project to impact $6 billion debt funding: Total Energies' decision to pause its $4-billion investment in a green hydrogen venture with Adani Group could impact the project's growth funding, as the French energy major was to guarantee half of its debt. Total had made a total of $10-billion capital commitment to the venture, translating to $6 billion. The deal is yet to close. Link

• Shipping Ministry to develop three Indian Ports as Hydrogen Hubs: The Paradip Port in Odisha, Deendayal Port in Gujarat and V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu will be developed for handling, storage and green hydrogen generation to cater to India's hydrogen production goals by 2030. The Ports and Shipping ministry has already initiated steps to develop green ports which will prioritize cutting greenhouse gas emissions to make the Indian maritime sector sustainable. Link

• IOC to set up green hydrogen plants at all refineries: India's top oil firm Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will set up green hydrogen plants at all its refineries as it pivots an INR 2-lakh crore green transition plan to achieve net- zero emissions from its operations by 2046, its chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya has said. Link

• ACME, Japan’s IHI join hands to explore opportunities in green hydrogen: Renewable energy firm, ACME Group, and Japan’s heavy-industry manufacturer, IHI Corporation has said that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly explore the potential business opportunities of green hydrogen. The two will jointly study and evaluate potential projects with respect to collaboration opportunities across the green hydrogen and ammonia value chain, including production, handling. Link

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

• • European Commission sets renewable hydrogen criteria: On February 13, the European Commission proposed two Delegated Acts establishing EU definitions for green/renewable hydrogen. The long-awaited rules provide developers with the regulatory certainty they need to launch hydrogen projects and are key to unleashing a domestic market for 10 million tons of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) by 2030 — a target to reach EU’s climate targets while shifting away from Russian fuels. Link
  • First renewable hydrogen facility in North America receives necessary permits and approval: EverWind Fuels became the first renewable hydrogen producer in North America to secure the necessary permits for a commercial-scale facility. The company expects the project’s first phase to be online in 2025 and produce 1 million tonnes a year by 2026. The company has already formed agreements with German energy firms E.ON and Uniper to purchase the clean hydrogen produced. Most existing renewable hydrogen production currently takes place in China, and this investment falls in line with other efforts in the west to become leaders in the clean hydrogen industry. Link
  • European Commission releases anticipated Green Deal Industrial Plan: The EU released its Communication for “A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age” on February 1. In addition to the Communication, the EU Executive also announced it is consulting Member States on a draft proposal to transform the current State aid Temporary Crisis Framework into a Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework to facilitate and accelerate Europe's green transition. The plan is based upon four pillars that aim to provide a predictable and simplified regulatory environment, provide faster access to sufficient funding, support the skills needed for the green transition, and open trade for resilient supply chains.  Link
  • UK publishes regulatory guidance on ‘blue’ hydrogen: The UK’s Environment Agency published regulatory guidance on February 3 for large-scale industrial plants that produce hydrogen from methane and carbon capture after consulting UK regulators, industry, and academia. The guidance is aimed at “operators when designing their plants and preparing their application for an environmental permit, regulatory staff when determining environmental permit applications, and any other organization or members of the public who want to understand how the environmental regulations and standards are being applied.” Link
  • France leading push for European Union to support nuclear-produced hydrogen: France is leading a campaign with Ministers from Poland, the Czech Republic and six other EU countries to have the EU recognize low-carbon hydrogen produced from nuclear power in its renewable energy rules. The EU countries wrote to the European Commission urging it to open up the EU renewable energy targets. Link
  •  U.S. Department of Energy announces $47 million in hydrogen funding: The U.S. Department of Energy’s announced a new $47 million funding opportunity on January 27. Administered by the DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, the new funding aims to reduce costs, enhance hydrogen infrastructure, and improve the performance of hydrogen fuel cells, while supporting the DOE’s Hydrogen Shot Initiative and the H2@Scale Initiative. Topic areas for funding include hydrogen carrier development, onboard storage systems for liquid hydrogen, liquid hydrogen transfer/fuelling components and systems, and M2FCT: high performing, durable membrane electrode assemblies for medium- and heavy-duty applications. Link
  • U.S. Department of Transportation announces $1.66 billion in clean bus funding: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced $1.66 billion in grants to transit agencies, territories, and states across the country to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities on January 27. The notice combines two programs, the Low or No Emission Grant Program ($1.22 billion) and the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program ($469 million). Link
  •  Australia and Netherlands make deal to advance renewable hydrogen development: Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen and the Netherlands Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten signed an MoU to promote clean energy supply chains, including support for hydrogen supplies from Australia to Europe, via the Port of Rotterdam. The MoU includes hydrogen trade policy, standards and certification scheme, government policies about safety, social license and regulations for hydrogen, among other agreements. Link