NGHM Targets Clean Energy, Jobs, and Hydrogen Innovation
New Delhi: India is advancing its green energy ambitions with a decisive step under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), as Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, unveiled a ₹100 crore call for pilot projects aimed at producing green hydrogen from biomass and waste materials. The announcement, made during the inaugural session of the 3rd International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH 2025) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, coincided with the launch of the official NGHM logo, chosen from over 2,500 nationwide entries to reflect public participation in India’s green journey and the innovation driving the Mission.
While the first impression is one of ceremonial fanfare, the implications of this ₹100 crore pilot initiative are more strategic than symbolic. By focusing on biomass and waste-based hydrogen production, the Ministry is signalling an intention to cultivate domestic innovation pathways, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and promote circular economy solutions. The choice of pilots over large-scale deployment indicates a recognition of the technological and financial risks that green hydrogen production still entails. High capital intensity, variable efficiency outcomes, and nascent supply chains have so far constrained large-scale adoption globally. India’s pilot programme is therefore a calculated step to de-risk technologies while exploring cost-effective, scalable solutions.
The NGHM, launched in 2023 with an initial outlay of ₹19,744 crore, has already made notable strides. Under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) programme, incentives have been awarded for 3,000 megawatts per annum of domestic electrolyser manufacturing and 8.62 lakh metric tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production. India now records the world’s lowest green ammonia price, at ₹49.75 per kilogram for 7.24 lakh metric tonnes per annum production, placing it competitively against other emerging hydrogen markets. Yet sustaining this advantage will require careful calibration, as global competitors are rapidly scaling technology and markets, particularly in Europe, Japan, and South Korea.
Beyond pricing, India is experimenting across multiple hydrogen applications to create industrial clusters and early demand signals. Investments include ₹132 crore in five pilot projects for green steel, ₹208 crore for 37 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles and nine refuelling stations, and ₹35 crore for the first hydrogen bunkering and refuelling facility at V.O. Chidambaranar Port. These initiatives aim to demonstrate real-world applications and stimulate industrial uptake. However, scaling pilot projects into full-fledged commercial operations presents significant hurdles, from ensuring feedstock reliability and managing logistics to integrating with renewable energy sources and maintaining cost-competitiveness.
Skill development and standardisation are central to the Mission’s long-term viability. Joshi highlighted that 43 hydrogen-related skill qualifications have been approved, over 6,300 trainees certified, and technical standards including the Green Hydrogen Standard (2023) and Certification Scheme (2025) have been implemented. While these steps lay the foundation for safe, efficient, and globally compatible production, the challenge remains in extending such expertise across India’s diverse industrial landscape. Regional disparities in infrastructure, technical capabilities, and renewable electricity availability could constrain uniform adoption.
The pilot call also underscores India’s ambition to position itself as a global green hydrogen hub. Professor Ajay K. Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, noted that NGHM is progressing steadily across policy, demand creation, research and development, and enabling infrastructure. India’s relatively low-cost production advantage offers an opportunity to capture emerging export markets. Yet success will hinge on aligning domestic standards with international regulatory and technological benchmarks, and ensuring India can meet global quality, efficiency, and environmental expectations—particularly for sensitive markets in Europe and East Asia.
Economic competitiveness, rather than climate narrative alone, is increasingly driving the sector. Joshi pointed out that carbon-border adjustments being adopted by global economies make green hydrogen not just an environmental imperative but an economic necessity. The Mission is thus as much about positioning India in global supply chains as it is about domestic energy transition. By engaging global policymakers, scientists, and industrial stakeholders through ICGH-2025, India is attempting to secure technological collaboration, foreign investment, and market visibility for its green hydrogen ambitions.
From a domestic policy perspective, the pilots will also test integration with renewable electricity infrastructure. India has pledged to power its entire green hydrogen production through renewable sources, and the success of biomass-based pilots will depend on the seamless coordination of energy supply, feedstock logistics, and industrial demand. The pilot projects, implemented through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), aim to bring together start-ups, research institutions, and established industry players—an ecosystem approach that could foster innovation but requires vigilant monitoring to prevent cost overruns, technological failures, or misaligned incentives.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission’s broader targets are equally ambitious. Secretary MNRE, Shri Santosh Kumar Sarangi, stated that NGHM is expected to mobilise over ₹8 lakh crore in investment, create six lakh jobs, and save ₹1 lakh crore in fossil-fuel imports annually. Initiatives such as the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme and four Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters in Jodhpur, Pune, Bhubaneswar, and Kerala are designed to regionalise research, manufacturing, and skill development. While promising, translating these macro-level targets into concrete, region-specific outcomes will require rigorous governance, transparent monitoring, and a stable policy environment over the next decade.
Critically, the success of India’s green hydrogen ambitions will be measured not just by technology demonstration but by systemic integration—embedding hydrogen into industrial decarbonisation strategies, transport, shipping, steel production, and regional energy grids. The ₹100 crore biomass-based pilot initiative may appear modest within the broader ₹19,744 crore Mission, yet it represents a high-stakes experiment at the intersection of innovation, policy, and industrial strategy. The outcomes will influence investor confidence, shape supply chains, and determine India’s credibility as a global green hydrogen player.
Finally, the NGHM logo, integrating motifs of a leaf, water drop, rising sun, and hydrogen electron, is emblematic of the Mission’s broader ambition—melding technological innovation with ecological and societal responsibility. It reflects a narrative India is keen to project: that green hydrogen is not only an environmental solution but also a vehicle for industrial transformation, job creation, and strategic global positioning. How effectively India can leverage this narrative into operational, scalable, and economically viable hydrogen production will determine whether the country emerges as a genuine global leader or remains a policy and pilot experimenter.
– global bihari bureau
