National Green Hydrogen Mission of India.

Why in News?

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, has approved National Green Hydrogen Mission.
• The initial outlay for the Mission will be Rs.19,744 crore, including an outlay of Rs.17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, Rs.1,466 crore for pilot projects, Rs.400 crore for R&D, and Rs. 388 crore towards other Mission components.
• MNRE will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation of the respective components.
• Ministry of New & Renewable Energy will be responsible for overall coordination and implementation of the Mission.

The Mission will result in the following likely outcomes by 2030:

• Development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country
• Over Rs. Eight lakh crore in total investments
• Creation of over Six lakh jobs
• Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore
• Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions

The benefits of National Green Hydrogen Mission:

• Creation of export opportunities for Green Hydrogen and its derivatives;
• Decarbonisation of industrial, mobility and energy sectors;
• Reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels and feedstock;
• Development of indigenous manufacturing capabilities;
• Creation of employment opportunities; and
• Development of cutting-edge technologies.

More about the Mission:

• India’s Green Hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach at least 5 MMT per annum, with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW.  The targets by 2030 are likely to bring in over Rs. 8 lakh crore investments and create over 6 lakh jobs.  Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted by 2030.
• The Mission will facilitate demand creation, production, utilization and export of Green Hydrogen.
• Under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT), two distinct financial incentive mechanisms – targeting domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and production of Green Hydrogen – will be provided under the Mission.
• The Mission will also support pilot projects in emerging end-use sectors and production pathways.  Regions capable of supporting large scale production and/or utilization of Hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs.
• An enabling policy framework will be developed to support establishment of Green Hydrogen ecosystem.
• A robust Standards and Regulations framework will be also developed.
• Further, a public-private partnership framework for R&D (Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership – SHIP) will be facilitated under the Mission; R&D projects will be goal-oriented, time bound, and suitably scaled up to develop globally competitive technologies.
• A coordinated skill development programme will also be undertaken under the Mission.