India has laid a strong policy foundation for the green hydrogen sector, but the industry’s next phase of growth will depend on creating sustained demand, building supporting infrastructure and ensuring globally accepted certification standards, experts said at the India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2026.
Speaking during the panel discussion on ‘Green Hydrogen & Its Derivatives Projects: Current Status & Outlook’, government officials and industry leaders said India has emerged as one of the global frontrunners in green hydrogen policy. However, they stressed that the success of the National Green Hydrogen Mission will now hinge on translating policy momentum into commercial deployment.
Policy Momentum Meets Demand Challenge
Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), described hydrogen as one of the country’s biggest long-term energy opportunities. “Hydrogen is the most versatile energy source,” Bakre said, adding that hydrogen offers a greater opportunity than electricity. He noted that while hydrogen was not earlier expected to become a significant part of India’s energy basket, it now presents one of the country’s greatest opportunities.
Dr Ajinkya Kamat, Associate Director – Innovation, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), said the first half of 2026 saw binding offtake agreements double, reflecting growing confidence in the sector. He credited the National Green Hydrogen Mission and MNRE with playing a significant role in driving the transition. “One peculiar observation I have is happening at the global frontier,” Kamat said, noting that India is now at par with other leading markets in advancing the green hydrogen ecosystem.
Dr Mridula Bharadwaj, Programme Lead – Green Hydrogen, Storage and Solar E-Mobility, International Solar Alliance (ISA), said the organisation has established a Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre and compiled data from 72 member countries to understand their position across the green hydrogen value chain and accelerate collaboration. “India is really ahead in terms of policy announcements,” Bharadwaj said.
She said India’s first green ammonia auction helped discover competitive pricing but highlighted a mismatch between suppliers and a limited number of offtakers. Other challenges include the cost of capital, storage, transportation and developing domestic manufacturing capabilities. According to Bharadwaj, the current roadmap extends until 2029 and provides visibility on the first generation of projects while helping identify gaps across different parameters. She said there is a need to create demand certainty, develop cluster-based infrastructure and value chains, and establish financing and risk-sharing mechanisms to support large-scale deployment.
Akash Singla, representing a renewable energy developer focused on green hydrogen and its derivatives, said the company is strengthening its presence in the sector through project development. “There are challenges but we should look at the positive side,” Singla said, adding that the ministry has shown agility in building the green hydrogen ecosystem.
He said the next 12 to 18 months will be crucial for the industry and emphasised that India must prioritise domestic demand creation instead of relying solely on export markets. He also advocated a hub-based development approach, globally acceptable certification mechanisms and greater collaboration across stakeholders.
Infrastructure, Certification And Project Execution Become The Next Frontier
Vivek Jaswal, Executive Vice President, ReNew, said the company currently has a renewable energy portfolio of 24 GW and highlighted the evolving requirements of green hydrogen development. “One thing new is green electron which is highly variable,” Jaswal said, adding that hydrogen should be viewed not merely as a technology but as an infrastructure ecosystem.
He said one of the biggest challenges is securing international offtake alongside developing domestic demand. Jaswal also called for globally harmonised certification standards, saying uniformity across countries is essential to unlock export opportunities. While policy support has been encouraging, he said wider international recognition of India’s certification systems, particularly in Europe, would help open significant markets.
Arnav Sinha, EVP & Head of Business Development, ACME, said the company’s 100,000-tonne green hydrogen project is progressing and is expected to be commissioned by March next year. He added that ACME secured India’s green fertiliser tender and is also designing a significantly larger facility. “We are designing an 800,000-tonne plant in Paradip,” Sinha said.
He said the company has secured an offtake arrangement with Japan and is developing another project in Gopalpur in collaboration with Japanese partners, creating an opportunity for India to emerge as an exporter of clean energy. According to Sinha, while regulatory uncertainty and offtake were the industry’s biggest concerns six to nine months ago, the challenge has now shifted towards infrastructure gaps and inadequate connectivity.
He added that the successful commissioning of the first batch of commercial projects will be critical for maintaining industry confidence. At the same time, he said the pipeline of tenders, expressions of interest and demand must continue expanding to ensure the sector’s momentum is sustained.
As India moves from policy announcements to project execution, industry leaders stressed that sustained demand creation, timely infrastructure development and regulatory certainty will determine the pace of adoption. They said the successful commissioning of the first wave of projects, coupled with continued government support and a robust project pipeline, will be key to establishing India as a global hub for green hydrogen and its derivatives.
