By Nishaanth Balashanmugam
Director, GH2 India
India’s green hydrogen sector reached a turning point with SECI’s 13 e-reverse auctions, revealing record-low green ammonia prices at ₹50/kg. ACME CleanTech secured 6 of the 13 bids, with 7.24 lakh MT of production capacity now in the pipeline. This positions India as a global contender, drawing interest from international buyers. However, the challenge lies in executing these aggressive bids—securing financing, affordable renewable power, infrastructure, and efficiency. While the progress since the launch of the National Green Hydrogen Mission is impressive, the real test will be converting early wins into export deals and driving demand across sectors like fertiliser.
During the August Monsoon Session, Parliament passed five key maritime laws—the Indian Ports Act, Merchant Shipping Act, Carriage of Goods by Sea Act, Bills of Lading Act, and Coastal Shipping Act, all 2025—introducing stricter environmental compliances and penalties for violations. The Ministry of Power released the Energy Conservation (Compliance Enforcement) Rules, 2025, empowering the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to oversee and act on non-compliance with energy norms. Additionally, the Uniform Renewable Energy Tariff (URET) mechanism was withdrawn, allowing developers to adopt project-specific tariffs, addressing concerns over delays in power offtake and easing power purchase agreement processes.
NEWS AND TRENDS
August brought positive developments in India’s green hydrogen sector, with SECI’s 13 e-reverse auctions revealing record-low green ammonia prices, touching Rs 50/kg. ACME CleanTech won 6 bids, while NTPC Renewable Energy, Oriana Power, Jakson Green, and others secured the rest, totaling 7.24 lakh MT of green ammonia in production. Reliance Industries announced a mega battery plant by 2026 and plans to scale green hydrogen to 3 million tonnes by 2032. In Tamil Nadu, Amazon Web Services signed a PPA with Gentari for an 80 MW wind project. NTPC and NHPC plan to raise Rs 4,500 crore via green bonds for renewables.
