India’s 1st green hydrogen plant inaugurated

Union Minister for Steel and Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, virtually inaugurated India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Plant in Stainless Steel Sector located at Jindal Stainless Limited, Hisar. The inauguration also witnessed the presence of Secretary, Ministry of Steel Nagendra Nath Sinha, Managing Director (Jindal Stainless Limited), Abhyuday Jindal, Founder, Hygenco Amit Bansal, and other officials of the Ministry of Steel.

The Minister mentioned that India’s rich history of environmentalism, deeply embedded in traditions and practices, is now being revitalized through modern strategies. The country is making significant strides in tackling climate change with initiatives like the Panchamrit (fivefold strategy to fight climate change) and Mission LiFE (a worldwide effort dedicated to supporting eco-friendly lifestyle and protecting the environment), showcasing a holistic approach to development that balances both nature and human prosperity. “As a government we are encouraging companies, citizens, and state governments to focus on “green growth” and “green jobs” to achieve the target of net zero carbon emission by 2070.

The Minister also highlighted India’s progress in the steel sector, evolving from a net importer to a net exporter and aiming to become the world’s largest producer of crude steel. One key initiative in this journey is the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), launched last year with an outlay of around ₹20,000 crore with an aim to make India a Global Hub for production, usage and export of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives. The Mission is also supporting pilot projects in the steel sector with a budget of around ₹500 crore until FY 2029-30.

The Minister highlighted the government’s readiness to initiate robust national green policies, 13 task forces to identify action points for each aspect of green steel production, and implementation of Steel Scrap Recycling Policy for enhancing the availability of domestically generated scrap.

It will be the world’s first off-grid Green Hydrogen plant for the stainless-steel industry and the world’s first Green Hydrogen plant with rooftop & floating solar. This project is also a state-of-the-art green hydrogen facility with a target to reduce carbon emissions considerably by around 2,700 Metric Tonnes per annum and 54,000 tons of CO2 emissions over next two decades.