New Delhi: India has commissioned its first green hydrogen production facility under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, marking a step forward in the country’s push toward cleaner energy solutions using renewable resources, MERCOM reported.
The project has been set up by JSW New Energy at the JSW Vijayanagar Steel complex in Ballari, with the Solar Energy Corporation of India acting as the implementing agency. The plant has a production capacity of 3,600 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen.
The facility is powered by 25–27 MW of round-the-clock renewable energy, sourced through a mix of captive solar and wind installations. It uses pressurised alkaline electrolyser technology, representing a move towards large-scale green hydrogen production.
The hydrogen produced will be used in the direct reduced iron process at JSW Steel to help lower carbon emissions in steel manufacturing. The process also generates oxygen as a by-product, which is being utilised in blast furnace operations, improving efficiency and resource use.
In parallel, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has invited proposals from states and Union Territories to develop training programmes under the mission, aimed at building a skilled workforce for the green hydrogen sector.
The ministry had earlier revised guidelines to promote pilot projects using green hydrogen across residential, commercial and decentralised applications. These projects are expected to focus on off-grid and community-level systems powered by sources such as rooftop solar, small hydropower, floating solar, biomass and wastewater.
Separately, the Solar Energy Corporation of India has also invited proposals to appoint an agency for preparing detailed project reports for proposed green hydrogen hubs under the mission.
