India Approves $7.8 Million for Hydrogen Valley Clusters Under National Green Hydrogen Mission

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned ₹679.5 million ($7.8 million) in central financial assistance to establish four Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters (HVICs) across the country. The initiative is part of the broader National Green Hydrogen Mission, aimed at accelerating the adoption of green hydrogen across sectors such as industry, mobility and energy.

The HVICs will function as regional ecosystems where hydrogen production, storage and end-use applications are co-located to demonstrate integrated value chains. The funding includes ₹170.3 million ($2 million) for the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune, ₹213.6 million ($2.4 million) for ANERT in Kerala, ₹149.6 million ($1.7 million) for IIT Bhubaneswar and ₹146 million ($1.6 million) for IIT Jodhpur.

These grants are part of a larger MNRE research and development plan launched in July 2023 with a budget of ₹4 billion ($48.12 million), aimed at enabling commercial deployment of green hydrogen technologies through infrastructure support and policy development.

Speaking at a recent event, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi noted India’s progress in renewable energy capacity, stating that the country is on track to reach 75 gigawatts soon, with a goal of hitting 100 gigawatts within the next few years.

India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission includes a total investment of ₹197.44 billion ($2.37 billion), of which ₹174.9 billion ($2.1 billion) is allocated for production-linked incentives and subsidies related to electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen supply. Additional funds support research, pilot projects and regulatory development.

In April, the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme was introduced to define emissions standards for qualifying green hydrogen production, forming part of India’s plan to produce 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.