How Gujarat is working to become India’s green hydrogen hub 

Gujarat has set the ball rolling to become the country’s green hydrogen manufacturing hub and retain its dominance over the industrial sector

Gujarat has set the ball rolling to become the country’s green hydrogen manufacturing hub and retain its dominance over the industrial sector. The State has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several big corporates, including Reliance, Adani, ArcelorMittal and Torrent, which have pledged huge investments in green energy projects and have been allotted land for the same.

“We aim to become a hub for green hydrogen by creating a production capacity of 8 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2035,” State Industries Minister Balwantsinh Rajput said.

The State is framing a new policy for green hydrogen manufacturing, which will be given the status of a “priority sector”, say officials. The State Cabinet approved the allotment of 1.99 lakh hectares of land in the Kutch-Banaskantha border areas against the proposals, by the corporates that signed the MoUs, of setting up projects across 3.26 lakh hectares. The land parcels will be allotted on a 40-year lease initially.

The government will provide a range of incentives to the industries investing in the State’s green hydrogen projects, officials say. As per the land allotment policy, the companies must meet 50% of their green hydrogen production capacity within five years of commissioning their plants and 100% within eight years.

Under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), India has set a target of becoming a net-zero emissions country by 2070. The country also aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 by sourcing 50% of its energy from renewable sources.

“As a State with a favourable policy regime and solid infrastructure base, Gujarat will be a hub for green energy and its ecosystem,” an official said, adding, “the State is expecting around ₹10 lakh crore worth of investments in this new sector over the next 15 years.”

Any company intending to set up a green hydrogen plant in Gujarat should have prior experience in producing at least 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy or should be a user of “green”, “blue”, or “brown” hydrogen.