From the Editorial Desk · IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026 – 11 August, 2026
India has done a lot of the groundwork for green hydrogen.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission is in place. The SIGHT programme is supporting electrolyser manufacturing and hydrogen production. India has also started putting a certification mechanism around green hydrogen and has introduced measures to make renewable power more accessible to these projects.
So the basic policy direction is not really in question anymore.
The bigger issue, in my view, is what happens when companies actually start putting serious capital into projects.
A green hydrogen project is considerably more complicated than putting up a solar plant. There is renewable power to arrange, electrolysers to procure, water and land requirements to address, grid connectivity to secure, storage and transportation to plan and, most importantly, an industrial customer willing to buy the hydrogen or its derivatives.
Every one of these pieces affects the final project economics.
The question investors are asking
For a developer, a policy announcement is useful. A clear and predictable approval process is much more useful.
Before committing hundreds or thousands of crores, investors need reasonable visibility on issues such as power availability, transmission charges, approvals, project timelines, offtake contracts and certification.
This is where the hydrogen sector is still learning.
The technology is progressing quickly. Commercial structures are evolving at the same time. Lenders are therefore having to assess risks in an asset class that does not yet have the same operating history as solar, wind or conventional power projects.
That makes long-term offtake particularly important.
SECI’s green ammonia procurement programme is a good example. The programme covers 7,24,000 tonnes per year across 13 fertiliser plants, giving selected producers a defined procurement route.
More such mechanisms will be needed if India wants to move from a handful of projects to a large domestic hydrogen market.
Export markets add another complication
The export opportunity is attractive, but Indian producers will have to meet the rules of the markets they want to enter.
Europe is a good example. Its requirements around renewable electricity, emissions and RFNBO certification are quite specific.
For an Indian project developer, certification therefore cannot be something considered at the end of the project.
It has to be considered while the project is being designed.
Where the electricity comes from, how it is contracted, how emissions are calculated and how the product is certified can all influence whether the final hydrogen or derivative is acceptable to an overseas buyer.
There is a lot happening at the same time
India’s advantage is that the country already has much of the industrial base required to build this ecosystem.
We have large renewable-energy developers, engineering companies, fertiliser and refinery industries, ports, chemical manufacturers and a growing domestic manufacturing base.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission is targeting 5 million metric tonnes of annual production by 2030, with significant investment expected across the value chain.
But achieving that number will require coordination.
A hydrogen plant cannot be developed independently of the power system. A green ammonia plant needs an offtaker. An export project needs port infrastructure and certification. A lender needs contractual visibility before financing the asset.
These connections are where much of the work will happen over the next few years.
This is where industry needs to be part of the conversation
Policy cannot be developed only on paper.
The companies building these projects know where the practical difficulties are. Developers know which approvals take time. Technology companies know where standards need to evolve. Lenders know which risks still make financing difficult. Exporters know what international buyers are asking for.
That feedback is important.
India has already demonstrated that it can build large-scale renewable-energy markets when policy, industry and investment move in the same direction.
Green hydrogen now needs the same level of coordination.
IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026, taking place on 17–18 November 2026 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, brings these stakeholders together—from policymakers and technology providers to project developers, investors, infrastructure companies and industrial users.
The discussion has moved beyond “Can India produce green hydrogen?”
We now need to focus on the more practical questions:
Can we make projects bankable? Can we create dependable demand? Can we build the infrastructure fast enough? And can Indian hydrogen compete in international markets?
The answers to these questions will determine how quickly India’s hydrogen ambition becomes an operating industry.
#IGHAHYVOLUTIONINDIA2026 #GreenHydrogen #HydrogenIndia #HydrogenEconomy #HydrogenPolicy #EnergyTransition #CleanEnergy #GreenAmmonia #HydrogenInfrastructure #HydrogenInvestment #IndustrialDecarbonisation #NetZero
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) and who implements it?
The NGHM was notified by the Government of India in January 2023 with a financial outlay of ₹19,744 crore. MNRE is the nodal ministry, and SECI (Solar Energy Corporation of India) serves as the implementing and central nodal agency. The mission targets 5 MMT of green hydrogen production annually by 2030.
2. What is the SIGHT programme and what does it fund?
SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition) is the financial incentive mechanism under NGHM that supports two key areas: electrolyser manufacturing capacity in India, and green hydrogen and derivatives production facilities. SECI conducts competitive tenders under SIGHT to discover market prices and award contracts.
3. What is the Hydrogen Purchase Obligation (HPO) and what is its current status?
The HPO is a proposed regulatory mandate that would require certain industries — particularly fertilisers and refining — to source a specified percentage of their hydrogen from green sources. As of August 2026, the HPO framework has been proposed but not yet notified under a statutory mandate, creating a gap in demand-side certainty for project developers.
4. Why is green hydrogen project finance more complex than solar project finance?
Green hydrogen projects span multiple regulated sectors simultaneously — electricity (CERC/SERC), gas infrastructure (PNGRB), chemical safety (PESO), environmental regulations, and trade law. They also involve unproven technology at commercial scale, uncertain demand trajectories, and evolving regulatory frameworks, making standard project finance risk allocation models inadequate.
5. What is CBAM and how does it affect India’s green hydrogen exports?
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will impose carbon costs on imports from countries without equivalent carbon pricing. For India to export green hydrogen or derivatives to Europe, it will need internationally recognised certification of carbon content — a framework that India’s domestic regulatory system does not yet fully provide.
6. What is RFNBO and why does it matter for Indian exporters?
RFNBO stands for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin — the EU’s standard for certifying hydrogen produced from renewable electricity. European buyers and policymakers require RFNBO compliance for hydrogen imports. Meeting this standard requires specific additionality, temporal correlation, and geographic correlation rules that Indian producers will need to navigate.
7. What ISTI waivers are available for green hydrogen producers in India?
Under India’s Green Hydrogen Policy (notified February 2022), green hydrogen producers receive waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges for 25 years for projects commissioned before December 2025. MNRE subsequently extended and expanded these benefits under NGHM.
8. Which Indian law firm has provided the most comprehensive analysis of the green hydrogen regulatory framework?
Lexology-published analysis from Maheshwari & Co. and articles from KS&DC Partners provide comprehensive 2026 legal reviews of India’s green hydrogen regulatory landscape. Both flag the complexity of the multi-regime framework and the areas requiring legal consolidation.
9. What contractual structures are emerging for green hydrogen offtake in India?
SECI’s green ammonia supply agreements — covering 7,24,000 TPA to 13 fertiliser units — are establishing a template for long-term, competitively tendered, MNRE-backed supply contracts with clear pricing benchmarks (₹49.75–₹64.74 per kg). These represent India’s first systematic attempt at creating bankable hydrogen derivative offtake structures.
10. Where will the policy and regulatory tracks be discussed at IGHA – Hyvolution India 2026?
The IGHA Strategic Conference at Hyvolution India 2026 (17–18 November, India Expo Mart, Greater Noida) includes dedicated sessions on hydrogen policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, investment structuring, and international standards. Details at igha-hyvolution.com.