Govt To Make Green Hydrogen Purchase Mandatory For Certain Sectors: R K Singh

Purchase of green hydrogen will be made mandatory for certain sectors on the pattern of renewable purchase obligation, New & Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said on Tuesday. Hydrogen purchase obligations would be in place for fertilizers/ refineries involving private sector.

Under Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO), bulk purchasers like discoms, open access consumers and captive users are required to buy a certain proportion of renewable energy out of their total consumption of electricity. They can also buy RE certificates from renewable energy producers to meet the RPO norms.

Interacting with the media in a virtual curtain raiser press conference on ‘India’s role as a Global Champion for the Energy Transition theme at the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021’, Singh said just like RPO, hydrogen purchase obligation would ensure that product sells.

‘We are going to include green hydrogen obligation on the lines of RPO,’ the minister said.

Later in the day, Union Power Secretary Alok Kumar said in a tweet ,’India has launched an ambitious National Hydrogen Mission to introduce hydrogen purchase obligations for fertilizers/ refineries involving private sector in transparent & competitive manner to produce green hydrogen.’ Green hydrogen is produced using RE and electrolysis to split water and is distinct from grey hydrogen, which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and blue hydrogen, which captures those emissions and stores them underground to prevent them causing climate change.

The minister also expressed dismay over under-achievement of RPO targets by states.

‘Most states have not achieved their RPO(targets). In 2030, total installed power generation capacity of the country would be 821 GW including 450 GW of renewables. (So RPO is required to be met by states),’ the minister said.