The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said that green hydrogen story will succeed in India as the country has already demonstrated its potential in clean solar energy production.

Speaking at a session on ‘Energy for survival – security and climate debate’ at the ‘Mangaluru Lit Fest’ on Saturday, the Minister said he is most excited about the green hydrogen story. What is required is a demonstrated capacity to produce clean solar energy at a low reasonable cost. India has demonstrated this by bringing down the cost of solar energy production. The green hydrogen production needs electrolysers, and the government has included electolysers in PLI scheme. Today, every electrolyser manufacturer anywhere in the world is present in India.

Explaining why green hydrogen story will succeed in India, he said green hydrogen lends itself to success where there is local demand, local production and local consumption.

Stating that India has all the conditions right, he said green hydrogen story is ready to take off in India. He said 5 million tonnes of production target by 2030 is a gross underestimation.

One of the oil marketing companies has already floated tender to produce green hydrogen, he said, adding, “now you will see the green hydrogen story developing.”

Green transition

Stating that India has navigated well in energy security, he said it is doing the green transition effectively, and gave the examples of India’s progress in biofuel production and in the establishment of CBG (compressed biogas) plants.

The number of CBG plants will go up to 5,000 from the existing 70 now. Uttar Pradesh alone is going to get 100-plus CBG plants, he said. “We have to make a transition from where we are today to a green future. You can only make that transition if you survive the present,” the Minister said.

Clean cooking fuel

On India’s progress in clean cooking fuel production, he said now the country is supplying clean cooking gas to the entire population and gave the example of successful implementation of Ujwala scheme in the country. Large parts of the world don’t have clean cooking medium, he said.

On India’s dependence on fossil fuel imports, he said there was no shortage of crude oil. India gets crude oil from non-OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) sources also.

To a query on international pressure on crude oil buying, he said it is the primary responsibility of a democratically elected government to make energy available to consumers at all times and affordable rates. If disruptions come on the path, then it will have to be navigated. Nobody is in no position to tell the country where to buy from or not to buy from, he said.

Stressing the fact that there is more oil available in the world today, he said, “What you need is good consumers, and India is a good steady consumer.”

He said India is procuring crude oil from 39 sources now. It was 27 sources earlier. Around 67 million people fill fuel every day for their vehicles at retail outlets across the country.

He said India’s crude oil consumption is set to increase to 7 million barrels a day from the present 5 million barrels a day. Nearly 25 per cent of the global demand will be from India in the next 20 years. India has to plan for tomorrow and remain insulated against possible upheavals and disruption, he added.