India on Course to Produce 5 Mn Tonnes of Green Hydrogen by 2030, Believes Pralhad Joshi

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi has said that India is progressing rapidly in clean energy and remains on course to meet its target of producing 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030. That is an audacious claim considering the many challenges that remain to provide a clear sight to the target for 2030. While multiple pilots hgave been started, including hydrogen blending in refineries, steel plants, and mobility applications, nothing at scale has been green lighted yet. Electrolyzer manufacturing capacity, that was targeted to be 20 GW by 2030, is nowhere close to those numbers, and the cost remains stubbornly high for now.  

The minister  was speaking at the Panchjanya Infra Confluence 2025 On Dec 14, where Joshi underlined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out a demanding roadmap for the sector. 

Reiterating the government’s confidence in its green hydrogen goal, he added, “We are firmly on course to achieve our ambitious target of 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen production by 2030.”

National Green Hydrogen Mission Framework

Joshi, who had also addressed the Annual Green Hydrogen R&D Conference earlier this month, highlighted the central role of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), launched in 2023, in reshaping India’s energy system and positioning the country as a global hub for green hydrogen.

With a total outlay of INR 19,744 crore, the Mission rests on four key pillars: Policy and Regulatory Framework, Demand Creation, R&D and Innovation, and Enabling Infrastructure. 

As part of this, dedicated hydrogen hubs are being set up at Kandla, Paradip, and Tuticorin ports to boost India’s export competitiveness in green hydrogen and its derivatives.

The NGHM aims to support annual green hydrogen production of 5 million metric tonnes by 2030, enable 125 GW of new renewable energy capacity, catalyse investments worth INR 8 lakh crore, generate around six lakh new jobs, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50 million tonnes each year.

Green Hydrogen Challenge

While the optimism of government around green hydrogen has always been loud, this fuel technology is far away from being seen as a future clean fuel. The high cost is a major roadblock. The true cost of green hydrogen production in India remains in the USD 3.7– 6/kg range, and seems highly unlikely to come down anytime soon - a hughe challenge for USD 2/kg ambition set for GH2.