India and Saudi Arabia have started preliminary discussions on green hydrogen cooperation, including exploring investment opportunities by companies, sharing of technology and joint research & development in the segment.
The talks are part of a broader agreement on undersea cable grid connectivity which has been under discussion for some time between the two countries, sources in the know said.
The talks on hydrogen are in the initial stages and may take more deliberations to forge the details of the cooperation, especially as the two countries are aiming to have different clean energy sources for producing green or low-carbon hydrogen.
India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission aims for at least 5 million metric tonnes of annual production capacity by 2030 with renewable energy as the source, whereas Saudi Arabia’s clean hydrogen is likely to be based on low carbon emission technologies.
Companies from both countries could collaborate on a business-to-business level, one of the sources said.
The discussions on green hydrogen and grid connectivity are strategically important to the two countries as they have so far been trading fossil fuel in the energy sector.
As per India’s green hydrogen mission, the country aims to be an export hub for the fuel. The mission envisages a total assistance of INR 17,400 crore for green hydrogen and electrolyser manufacturing.
However, the technologies for green hydrogen are still evolving and costly, which requires countries to collaborate and cooperate.
India is committed to its green hydrogen mission and wants the world to partner in it, Power Minister RK Singh had said earlier.
India’s green hydrogen will be the “least cost” hydrogen in the world, the minister had said.
