Indian Chemical News, an online news media covering Chemicals, Petrochemicals, and Energy sector, is organizing an E-conference on "Hydrogen: Energising the Energy Ecosystem" on May 31, 2022 from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM.

One can register as delegate for the Hydrogen E-conference by clicking on the link https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2016260722579/WN_LcDzaqefRM-1V89vOqtQ1w.

The speakers for the Hydrogen E-conference are: Dr. Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR - National Chemical Laboratory; Mukesh Sharma, General Manager - Corporate Strategy, Indian Oil Corporation Limited; Milind V. Baride, Vice President, Tecnimont India; S. Sreekanth Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Sagar Cements Ltd.; Anish Paunwala, Director - Business Development, Linde; Dr. Soma Dasgupta, Application Engineer GC/MS, Agilent Technologies; and Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical News.

By 2050, nearly 80% of India's hydrogen is projected to be green, produced by renewable electricity and electrolysis. Green Hydrogen may become the most competitive route for Hydrogen production by around 2030 and this may be driven by potential cost declines in key production technologies and in clean energy technologies such as solar PV and wind turbines.

Recently, the central government notified the Green Hydrogen Policy aimed at boosting production of Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia to help the nation become a global hub for the environmentally friendly version. For countries like India, with its ever-increasing oil and gas import bill, Green Hydrogen can also help provide crucial energy security by reducing the overall dependence on imported fossil fuels. While nearly all hydrogen produced in India today is grey, it is estimated that demand for Hydrogen will be 12 MMT by 2030 and around 40% i.e. around 5 MMT will be green.

To help decarbonize Indian industry, the new Green Hydrogen policy provides for the waiver of inter state transmission charges for a period of 25 years and a banking provision of up to 30 days, which will help reduce the cost of Green Hydrogen significantly. This will, therefore, push the replacement of Grey Hydrogen with Green Hydrogen. The Ministry of Power has also provided a single-window-clearance portal for all clearances and open access on priority to Green Hydrogen projects.

The government of India plans to introduce a PLI scheme for electrolyzers to promote green hydrogen production in India at an outlay of US $2 billion. The cost of infrastructure and safety concerns would also need to be addressed.

In terms of the investment requirements, if India is to deploy Green Hydrogen as a clean energy solution for key sectors, including transport, industry, and power, by 2050, this would require significant investment in electrolyzers. India should focus public money for R&D and technology development to try and be on the global frontier in each part of the value chain of Green Hydrogen, with the objective of lowering costs and increasing deployment.

This requires a coordinated push from the supply-side, with increased investment and R&D commitments by government and industry, as well as demand-side support in the form of guaranteed markets, enabled by government procurement, subsidy schemes or regulations on fossil fuel alternatives.

With a renewable energy target of 500 GW for 2030 and net zero by 2070, India could become a Hydrogen hub as it is a promising opportunity. Industry experts are hopeful that Green Hydrogen will play a huge role in sectors like Power, Steel, Fertilizer, Petrochemical, and Transport.

Key discussion points for the Hydrogen are: Green Hydrogen strategy and roadmap; Making India a global hub for Green Hydrogen; Benefits accruing from PLI Scheme for electrolyzers; Developing a Green Hydrogen ecosystem; Establishing technology transfer partnerships; Providing grants for R&D and upskilling; Opting for large scale Green Hydrogen pilots in different verticals; and Storage, safety and environmental concerns related to Green Hydrogen.