Green hydrogen represents the next frontier of India’s renewable energy journey because it carries clean electricity into sectors that cannot be decarbonised through direct electrification alone. Steel, fertilisers, refining, chemicals, shipping and heavy transport require energy-dense fuels and industrial feedstocks. Producing hydrogen through electrolysis powered by renewable energy offers a pathway to reduce emissions in these hard-to-abate sectors while strengthening energy independence and creating new manufacturing, infrastructure and export opportunities.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission provides the foundation for an end-to-end ecosystem. With an outlay of ₹19,744 crore, the Mission targets at least five million metric tonnes of annual green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, supported by around 125 GW of additional renewable energy. It envisages more than ₹8 lakh crore in investment and the creation of six lakh jobs. Incentives under the SIGHT programme are supporting electrolyser manufacturing and hydrogen production, while pilot projects in steel, mobility and shipping, research programmes, testing facilities and standards are helping move the sector from demonstration towards commercial deployment.
The central challenge is coordination. Competitive hydrogen requires abundant low-cost renewable power, efficient electrolysers, dependable water strategies, transmission access, storage, transport infrastructure and long-term demand. Producers need credible offtake commitments, while industrial users need confidence in price, quality and supply. Certification and guarantees of origin will be important for domestic markets and international trade. Water sourcing must be planned responsibly, particularly in water-stressed regions, while renewable additionality should ensure that hydrogen production expands clean power supply rather than competing with existing electricity needs. Green hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia and green methanol can open opportunities in fertilisers, shipping and exports, but infrastructure planning must begin early around ports, industrial clusters and hydrogen valleys.
India’s advantage lies in the scale of its renewable ambition, its engineering and manufacturing base, a large domestic industrial market and the ability to build integrated projects. The objective is not merely to produce a new fuel. It is to develop technologies, manufacture electrolysers, create specialised skills, decarbonise industries and participate in emerging global value chains. Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo and the International Conference on Green Hydrogen can help align governments, industry, finance, research institutions and international partners around this mission. Green hydrogen is the future chapter of India’s renewable story, where clean power becomes clean industry and national capability becomes a platform for global collaboration.