Cutting Hydrogen Cost To USD 1/kg Key To India’s Energy Independence: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi, Aug 22 (KNN) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that if India can reduce the cost of hydrogen production from the current USD 5 per kilogram to USD 1 per kilogram, the country could not only achieve energy independence but also emerge as a global exporter of clean energy.

Speaking at the 24th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Gadkari described solar energy as the ‘Sanjeevani Booti’ for the planet and hydrogen as the fuel of the future. 

The minister stressed that true progress lay in strengthening rural India. 

“With 80 percent of people still connected to agriculture, we must diversify farming towards energy and power, invest in water conservation, and harness technologies like AI for rural prosperity. Jal, jameen, and jungle must remain the pillars of our growth model,” he told the audience. 

He added that ethics, economy, ecology and environment must move together for development to generate employment, reduce poverty and foster self-reliance.

The lecture, delivered this year by Ashish Khanna, Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), was presided over by Gadkari.

India has set an ambitious goal of meeting nearly 10 percent of projected global green hydrogen demand, estimated to exceed 100 million metric tonnes by 2030.

Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy Shripad Naik recently said that the country had already awarded 862,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production capacity to 19 companies under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. 

In addition, 3,000 megawatts of electrolyser manufacturing capacity has been allocated to 15 companies, marking a significant step in building domestic capacity in the sector.

(KNN Bureau)