The State government has nominated the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) as the State-level nodal agency for Green Hydrogen initiatives.
The Power Department decision was taken on the basis of a proposal made by the Chief Executive Officer, ANERT, indicating the need for a single nodal agency for drafting and publishing the green hydrogen policy, assisting investors, developing a single-window system for approvals and a grievance redressal mechanism, and liaisoning with State and Central government agencies.
The State government has plans to establish ‘green hydrogen hubs’ in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, stating that green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, can play an important role in eco-friendly development and reduction of carbon emissions. The 2023-24 State budget had also announced a ₹200 crore scheme for viability gap funding, grant and equity support for setting up the hubs.
The State’s green hydrogen programme is in line with its target to become a 100% renewable energy-dependent State by 2040 and net carbon neutral by 2050. In January 2022, the Union Cabinet had approved in the National Green Hydrogen Mission with the aim of making India energy independent by 2047 and achieving net zero by 2070.
Some months ago, the State government had kickstarted the process of a creating a ‘Green Hydrogen Policy’ which will point the way forward for developing capabilities and opportunities in this emerging area. In February this year, a draft had been circulated for discussion at a workshop organised by the Energy Management Centre (EMC), IIT-Palakkad, ANERT, and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.
A number of other States have drafted State-level policies for green hydrogen initiatives. Uttar Pradesh, for instance, had published the draft Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy in October last year.
