International Climate Summit 2021 to pave way for India’s Hydrogen Ecosystem

FTI Consulting With TERI unveils India Green Hydrogen Roadmap report

‘International Climate Summit 2021’ (ICS 2021), an initiative by the Environment Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is being organised in partnership with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, CSIR and the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, on 3rd September 2021 at New Delhi.

As a precursor to the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled in November 2021 at Glasgow, ICS 2021 is a step forward in the mission and aims to meet climate challenges through a consolidated approach and timely interventions.

The Summit will be India-centric, and action-oriented with a special focus on ‘Powering India’s Hydrogen Ecosystem.

The summit is supported by Ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Power, Coal, Earth Sciences and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise.

As stated by Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India “Growth and climate change are inextricably linked, and achieving environmental sustainability around the globe assures subsequent generations to have access to the natural resources they need to live the life that is equal to, if not better than, present eras. Shifting to ‘Green Hydrogen’ strategies will create an economy which improves air quality and alleviates carbon emissions.”

While India has emerged as a global leader in climate change, as the world’s third-biggest emitter, it is also making visible efforts to reduce global warming and remains committed to substantially reducing its carbon footprint in the future.

Given its geographical location, India is among the best-suited countries to produce renewable energy from solar and wind, making the production of hydrogen through renewable cost-effective. With abundant natural resources, favourable climatic and geographical conditions, India has an advantage that needs to be harnessed.

According to Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog “Green Hydrogen is the future of the Indian energy and chemicals sector. Green Hydrogen will facilitate Indians to capture new avenues of growth and become global champions in this era, where the world is demanding green products.”

Kant further added that “Locally available Green hydrogen made from India’s record low renewable power will help India create high-value green industries like green refining, green ammonia, green steel, and green chemicals.”

In this regard, The National Hydrogen Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget of India 2021-22 also provides the industry an impetus towards tapping Hydrogen as an alternate source of energy & building capacity to become the cheapest hydrogen producer in the world by 2050.

A special knowledge book on the above subject, aptly titled ‘Self-Reliant India – Harness the Power of Hydrogen’ authored by Dr. Karen Landmark and her team of international experts from Norway would be released by the Prime Minister during the Summit.

The Summit agenda complements these initiatives through recommendations on the formation of an ‘International Hydrogen Alliance’ similar to ‘International Solar Alliance‘, and the setting up of ‘Centres of Excellence’ in select Universities across India. Key Initiatives that will assist in capacity building through a strong knowledge base and R&D.

Together with India’s Prime Minister & other world leaders, the summit will bring together Nobel Laureates, Policy Makers, Regulators, Industry Leaders, Experts & Scientists to arrive at a consensus in matters pertaining to climate change and sustainability.

The list of eminent speakers includes Prof. Vijay Raghavan, PSA to Govt. of India; Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog; Dr. Vijay Saraswat, Member (Energy), NITI Aayog; R. R. Rashmi, Former Special Secretary, MoEFCC & Distinguished fellow TERI; Sturle Harald Pederson, Chairman, Greenstat Hydrogen Asia, Bergen; Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary Department of Science & Technology; Nobuo Tanaka, Ex ED, IEA, Japan; Dr. SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D) IOCL; Dr. Karen Landmark, Chair of the Board Greenstat Asia, Norway; Dr. Ashish Lele, Director National Laboratory Pune; and many more, all of whom would share their leadership insights on the Hydrogen economy.

The summit sessions will focus on cooperative efforts that will help establish solutions for storing and transporting pressurized and liquefied hydrogen, to build a hydrogen economy and supply chain in India.

It will also explore possibilities in blue and green hydrogen production & storage; transport powered by hydrogen fuel cells & other heavy-duty transportation; hydrogen-use clusters including industrial clusters – specifically for steel, refineries, fertilizers, cement, ports, and logistics.

Speaking about the commencement of the first-ever climate event at a global level, Sanjay Aggarwal, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Delhi, said “The summit is timely and important for the country in building India’s Hydrogen Economy, its policies, and a roadmap for the future. It would also facilitate the building of an enabling regulatory framework needed to give a boost to the Make in India initiative in production, supply chain and partnerships for the hydrogen ecosystem in India.”

Dr. J. P. Gupta, the Summit Chair and Chairman Environment Committee, PHDCCI further added that“India is uniquely placed to produce hydrogen for its own needs, however, there is an urgent need to address all issues pertaining to clean energy together. This would not only help in finding a set of balanced, positive, and beneficial solutions for the future but also propel India in becoming a global export hub for green hydrogen”.

The International Climate Summit 2021 thus promises to be a progressive step towards a cleaner, greener, and sustainable future.

 It will facilitate global collaboration in building sustainable pathways for production, storage, transportation, distribution, and ambitious deployment of hydrogen technologies by 2040.