A meeting of the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force was organised under the co-chairmanship of Sh. Ajay Yadav, Joint Secretary, Green Hydrogen, International Relations & Climate Change, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, and Dr. Christian Storost, Head of Division, Funding Instruments and Hydrogen Initiatives, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), at Atal Akshay Urja Bhavan on 05 March 2024.

The meeting officially began with remarks from Dr. Storost, who appreciated the activities and meetings held under the Task Force to ramp-up the green hydrogen market. He recognised the Indian government’s ambitions to be completely reliable on renewable energy and noted that Germany will remain a net importer of green hydrogen and its derivatives (expected to import 1.5 - 3 MMT of green hydrogen).

Sh. Yadav offered his welcome remarks by highlighting aspects of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) and offering insights on the incentives launched by the government. As part of the outreach initiatives being carried out by the government, he said that high interest has been seen in REInvest and concluded his speech by saying how hopeful he is of finalising the roadmap.

Further ahead, Dr. Prasad Chaphekar, Deputy Secretary, Hydrogen Division, MNRE, briefed the participants on the NGHM, which aims to have 125 GW of RE capacity in the country to generate green hydrogen while reducing carbon emissions by 50 MMT.

In July 2023, the BMWK released an update of the National Hydrogen Strategy. Offering insights into the strategy, Mr. Mathis Weller, Deputy Head of Division IIB1, BMWK, said that Germany aims to become a leading provider for hydrogen technologies by 2030. The strategy aims for 10 GW domestic electrolyser capacity by 2030, while also focusing on blue, orange and turquoise hydrogen. A key aspect of the strategy is also its focus on simplified approval procedures for accelerating the market ramp-up.

The Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force Subworking Group Heads updated the audience on the activities and studies undertaken. Under the Task Force, there are four subworking groups which have met several times to discuss the establishment of a green hydrogen market. Apart from meetings, the Task Force has also been involved in trade fairs, business and government delegations, workshops and knowledge sessions.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on further steps for the Task Force and identifying future events for the ministries to meet and confirm the decisions on the roadmap.