ITA launches India Project Support Programme to advance 65 clean industrial projects

New Delhi: The Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), a global initiative formed at COP28, formally announced the launch of its India Project Support Programme in New Delhi on Tuesday. The programme is designed to help advance 65 clean industrial projects to the investment stage, unlocking an estimated USD 150 billion in potential capital formation and creating more than 200,000 direct and indirect clean sector jobs across the country.​

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According to ITA’s India Insights Briefing, the programme aims to catalyse large-scale action in decarbonising India’s heavy-emitting sectors — chemicals, steel, cement, aluminium, aviation, and shipping. The ITA puts India’s clean industrial project pipeline as the world’s third largest, following China and the United States, and notes it as a pivotal moment for India’s sustainable manufacturing ambitions.​

Massive clean industry potential mapped across major states

The report highlights that India’s clean industrial projects are concentrated in key states with strong renewable energy resources, modern transport portals, and enabling policy frameworks — Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. These regions are positioned to become global hubs for clean ammonia, methanol, steel, and other low-carbon commodities.​

Sector-wise, chemicals lead the pipeline with about 80 percent of projects focused on clean ammonia and methanol, far exceeding the government’s National Green Hydrogen Mission targets. Steel, cement, aluminium, and aviation follow, together offering vast opportunities for emissions reduction and new market formation.​

Bridging the investment gaps and accelerating execution

While India’s pipeline represents a transformative opportunity, the progress towards Final Investment Decision (FID) has been slow, with only six projects to date crossing that threshold. The ITA briefing identifies five major barriers restricting project execution: limited market demand for green products, lack of long-term premium contracts, high capital costs for first-of-a-kind assets, regulatory complexity, and infrastructure limitations — such as port and grid access.​

James Schofield, Managing Director, Industrial Transition Accelerator, said, “India’s industrial transition is central to both its growth objectives and the wider global decarbonisation effort. With one of the largest project pipelines worldwide, the challenge is no longer vision; it is execution. The India Project Support Programme will focus on unlocking demand, de-risking finance, and fast-tracking projects that can define India’s leadership in clean manufacturing. India’s commitment to build clean now would not only benefit the country domestically but also assist global momentum and present a strong supply of financed clean industrial projects to COP31 in November 2026.”

The programme will work through 2026 to address these issues, mobilising coordinated stakeholder action to align policy, drive demand, unlock financing, and build shared infrastructure. Structural reforms will include new market-making initiatives, voluntary buyer alliances, public procurement standards, and improved regulatory alignment with international markets, notably addressing challenges from EU regulations like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).​

Export opportunities and job creation at the forefront

The Programme features ambitions to position India as a major exporter of clean commodities, especially to Europe and Asia, and to shield India’s industry from trade headwinds and rising carbon compliance costs. Sustainable aviation fuel, green ammonia, and green steel are highlighted for their potential export growth, with India capable of supplying significant global demand by 2030.

Sumit Gupta, APAC Leader (Climate & Sustainability Practice), Boston Consulting Group (BCG), said, “India stands at a defining moment in the global clean industrial transformation. With a strong foundation of projects and growing private-sector momentum, the country is well placed to lead in scaling new low-carbon technologies. The opportunity spans clean fuels, green materials, and emerging manufacturing value chains. The ITA India Project Support Programme can help mobilise stakeholders and accelerate the next wave of investment-ready projects.”

Yash Kashyap, India Lead, Industrial Transition Accelerator, said, “The next 24 months will be decisive in determining which of India’s clean industry projects move from plans to plants. The pipeline is strong, the private sector is ambitious, and the policy base is taking shape. Our focus is to integrate these elements, aggregate demand, standardise bankable contracts, and build shared infrastructure to get projects investment-ready.”

The ITA projects more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs arising from these investments, underpinning India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and its Net Zero 2070 commitment. Long-term, the transition aims to decouple industrial growth from emissions while growing global market share and economic resilience.​

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