Three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH) 2023 concludes

New Delhi: The government, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), successfully concluded the three-day International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH) 2023 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Friday. The Valedictory Session of the conference, jointly organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, CSIR, and the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, featured esteemed speakers including Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa during India's Presidency year, Prof Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the government, Bhupinder Bhalla, Secretary, MNRE, and Vineet Mittal, Chair, CII Task-force on Green Hydrogen.

Throughout the conference, which witnessed over three days of intense deliberations, with more than 2,700 delegates, 135 speakers, seven plenary sessions, 16 technical sessions, and four panel discussions, experts focused on the green hydrogen ecosystem.

Green Hydrogen can transform India from energy importer to energy exporter: Puri

During his address, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri emphasised that green hydrogen has the potential to transform India from an energy importer to an energy provider and exporter. He highlighted India's advantage in terms of substantial demand, capacity to produce and store green hydrogen, and meeting critical requirements to become a hub for this green fuel. Shri Puri also expressed optimism that green hydrogen, along with other green fuels, could turn India's current $200 billion energy import bill into a $300 billion export advantage in the future.

India committed to addressing Climate Change: Dr Jitendra Singh

Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision in approving the Green Hydrogen Mission. He emphasized India's commitment to addressing climate change and stressed the importance of affordability, accessibility, and acceptability as key attributes for India's path to self-reliance in green hydrogen and furthering sustainable solutions.

India competitiveness lies in Green Hydrogen: Kant

G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant highlighted India's potential to become a global exporter of green hydrogen and energy, emphasizing the need to drive down the cost of green hydrogen from $4.5/kg to $1/kg by 2030. He commended oil companies and refineries for leading the shift to green hydrogen and encouraged private sectors such as cement and steel to follow suit. Kant reiterated that India's focus should primarily be on its core competitive advantage in green hydrogen.

Prof Ajay Kumar Sood emphasised on the importance of international collaboration in the green hydrogen space, as 16 countries, including India, have already unveiled their green hydrogen action plans. He highlighted the increasing demand for green hydrogen, which is expected to jump five-fold by 2050, and emphasized the need for India-centric life cycle assessments and infrastructure development for the usage of green hydrogen in various sectors.

MNRE Secretary Bhupinder Singh Bhalla expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for their contributions to the conference's success. He acknowledged the immense potential of green hydrogen and its transformative impact on India's energy landscape. Bhalla emphasised on the importance of international collaboration and highlighted the conference's role in fostering partnerships, collaborations, and innovative ideas. He stated that the conference and the green hydrogen mission will pave the way for R&D initiatives, pilot projects, and favorable policies to drive sustainable growth and accelerate the transition to clean and green energy.

CII Chair on Task-force on Green Hydrogen, Vineet Mittal, thanked the government for its guidance to the private sector and expressed confidence in making India self-reliant in energy through investments in the green hydrogen sector. He acknowledged the government's aggressive steps in decarbonization and promoting green growth, stating that green hydrogen is the new oil. Mittal assured that the private sector would live up to the expectations of the Prime Minister and contribute to India's green growth mantra.

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