Though no mandates have been fixed for green hydrogen consumption so far, the Secretary in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), B. S. Bhalla, said the government could come out with an obligation. 

“Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the government can mandate the consumption of green hydrogen or its derivatives in any sector. We have a provision for that,” Bhalla told presspersons in a press conference marking the conclusion of the International Green Hydrogen Conference (ICGH 2023).

Following the amendment of the Energy Conservation Act in December 2022, there is a legal provision to enforce a mandate whenever it is decided, he added.

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“These are the enabling steps towards having a mandate as and when we decide. But, we are in consultation with the ministries. No decision has been taken as yet. We are trying to understand whether we can collate demand, aggregate it and make it more clear for the industry to set up production facilities. A decision will be taken in consultation with the concerned ministries and sectors,” Bhalla said.

The MNRE Secretary said the target is to produce 5 million tonnes per annum, of which 70 per cent will be exported, and the remaining consumed domestically.

Five priority sectors, including fertilisers, refineries and long-haul mobility (with pilots already in place in industries such as steel, shipping, and long-haul transportation) have been identified for green hydrogen applications, he said.

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ICGH 2023 was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Centre in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

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