INDIA'S NATIONAL HYDROGEN MISSION

Smoke rises from brick kiln chimneys on the outskirts of New Delhi. India is the world's third-largest carbon emitter, and under the Paris Agreement has pledged to reduce its emissions intensity to between 33 per cent and 35 per cent by 2030. AP

India is increasingly looking towards hydrogen as an alternative source of fuel to reduce its carbon footprint and meet its growing energy needs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's national hydrogen mission on August 15, the country's Independence Day, saying: “The thing that is going to help India with a quantum leap in terms of climate is the field of ​​green hydrogen.

“We have to make India a global hub for green hydrogen production and export,” he added, in his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi.

However, achieving such ambitions will be challenging, given the relatively high cost of hydrogen production, analysts and industry insiders say.

Despite obvious headwinds in terms of regulations, costs and technology, the sector needs development efforts and investment from India's public and private sectors, as it can potentially change the country's energy landscape.

Hydrogen is going to make a significant contribution towards decarbonisation as well as making India self-sufficient in energy,” says JP Gupta, managing director of Greenstat Hydrogen India.

“India has a number of obstacles [to overcome] in terms of technology, storage, transportation, new materials research, electrolysis development, safety standards and a regulatory framework”, adds Mr Gupta, who is also the chairman of the environment committee at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

India's hydrogen strategy is part of its plan to develop alternative sources of energy to move away from its costly dependence on fossil fuel imports and as a way to reduce its carbon output.

Under the Paris climate change agreement, India, which is the world's third-largest carbon emitter, has pledged to reduce its emissions intensity to between 33 per cent and 35 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels.

It is also critical for the country to boost its power generation capacity. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that demand for energy in India will grow more than any other country over the next 20 years, driven by expanding economic activity and urbanisation.

In his speech, Mr Modi highlighted that India spends more than 12 trillion rupees ($161.3 billion) a year on importing energy - link - Rebecca Bundhun - link - more like this - link