Union Minister Pralhad Joshi unveils ₹100-Crore Green Hydrogen innovation fund

New Delhi: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Thursday announced Rs 100-crore “Call for Proposals” to support start-ups and innovators in the green hydrogen sector.

Unveiled at the first Annual Green Hydrogen R&D Conference in New Delhi, the scheme aims to fund breakthrough technologies across the hydrogen value chain.

Under the initiative, selected projects will receive up to ₹5 crore each for pilot-scale demonstrations in innovative hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilisation.

The scheme is designed to nurture cutting-edge solutions that can reduce costs and accelerate India’s clean energy transition.

Launching the programme, Mr Joshi said the Government is committed to building a strong green hydrogen ecosystem and positioning India as a global leader in the sector.

“This ₹100-crore support will empower start-ups and researchers to develop indigenous, scalable and affordable solutions,” he noted.

Highlighting progress in research and development, the Minister said that the dedicated R&D Scheme under NGHM, has already awarded 23 projects in the first round of Call for Proposals.

He underscored the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) launched in 2023, will transform India’s energy landscape and make the country a global hub for green hydrogen.

With an outlay of ₹19,744 crore, the Mission rests on four pillars – Policy and Regulatory Framework, Demand Creation, R&D and Innovation, and Enabling Infrastructure.

Reiterating India’s commitment, Joshi said that NGHM aims for five million metric tonnes of green hydrogen production annually by 2030, 125 GW of new renewable capacity, investments of ₹8 lakh crore, six lakh new jobs, and 50 million tonnes of CO₂ reduction each year.

Addressing the inaugural session, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said that R&D empowers the nation to solve complex challenges and drive economic growth.

“R&D is not optional, but essential,” Prof. Sood said, stressing the importance of sustained innovation for building a robust green hydrogen ecosystem”

MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi highlighted that the Green Hydrogen R&D programme has a budgetary outlay of ₹400 crore and that MNRE is ready to collaborate and support all stakeholders in driving forward the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Mission Director of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Dr. Abhay Bhakre, said that India today stands at the threshold of becoming a global leader in green hydrogen.

The conference has attracted 25 start-ups showcasing a wide range of technologies, from advanced electrolyser manufacturing and AI-driven optimisation to biological hydrogen production solutions.

Industry experts, academic institutions and government agencies are also participating in panel discussions and technical sessions on key challenges such as cost reduction, infrastructure development and safety standards.