Kochi: The Global Hydrogen & Renewable Energy Summit 2025, held on March 12–13, 2025 in Kochi, Kerala, hosted a panel discussion on “Investing in GH2: The Future of Clean Energy Markets”, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, technology experts, and investors to examine the financial, technological, and policy frameworks required to accelerate India’s green hydrogen ecosystem.
The session was moderated by Nishaanth Balashanmugam, Director, Green Hydrogen India (GH2 India). Panelists included C.P. Tiwari, Head-BD, Tata Power; Frederick P. Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Asiatic Gas Energy; Anirban Kundu, Co-Director, Indo-German Energy Forum Support Office (IGEF-SO); Rajesh Mehta, Senior Consultant (Energy & Materials Transition), TNO; and Bhavesh Kansara, General Manager – Head Power, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd.
The discussion explored how strategic investments, supportive policies, innovation, and international collaboration can help transform green hydrogen from an emerging technology into a commercially viable clean energy solution.
Green Hydrogen Emerging as a Strategic Growth Sector
The panel highlighted that green hydrogen is rapidly becoming a critical component of India’s energy transition, particularly for decarbonising hard-to-abate industries such as refining, fertilisers, steel, chemicals, and heavy transport.
Experts observed that while India has announced ambitious production targets under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the next phase will require stronger market creation, infrastructure development, and investment to move projects from pilot scale to commercial deployment.
Investment and Policy Support Critical for Growth
Panelists agreed that investor confidence will depend heavily on stable policy frameworks and long-term regulatory certainty.
They discussed the need for targeted incentives, viability gap funding, infrastructure support, and financing mechanisms that reduce investment risks for developers and technology providers.
International funding models and bilateral cooperation programmes were cited as important examples that could help accelerate project implementation while encouraging private sector participation.
Reducing Production Costs Remains a Priority
The discussion identified electricity costs as one of the biggest factors influencing the commercial viability of green hydrogen.
Since renewable electricity accounts for a significant share of hydrogen production costs, improving renewable energy availability, grid integration, and long-duration energy storage will be essential to making green hydrogen more affordable.
The panel also highlighted the importance of advancing electrolyser technologies to improve efficiency, reduce dependence on critical minerals, and lower capital costs over time.
Building Demand Across Industrial Sectors
While production capacity continues to grow, experts emphasised that creating sustainable demand will be equally important.
The panel discussed opportunities for hydrogen adoption across refineries, fertiliser plants, mobility, industrial manufacturing, and emerging clean energy applications. Long-term offtake agreements and industry partnerships were identified as key drivers for building a commercially sustainable hydrogen market.
Participants noted that coordinated planning between producers, consumers, and policymakers will be necessary to ensure balanced ecosystem development.
Research, Innovation and Global Collaboration
The panel underscored the importance of strengthening research and development to accelerate technological innovation.
Industry leaders highlighted the need for closer collaboration between research institutions, technology developers, manufacturers, and investors to improve hydrogen production technologies and reduce commercial risks.
International partnerships, particularly in technology transfer, research collaboration, and investment, were recognised as valuable tools for supporting India’s rapidly evolving hydrogen sector.
Creating a Sustainable Investment Ecosystem
Concluding the discussion, panelists agreed that India’s green hydrogen ambitions can only be achieved through a combination of policy stability, technological innovation, infrastructure development, and private investment.
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They expressed confidence that with continued government support and active participation from industry, financial institutions, and global partners, India is well-positioned to become one of the world’s leading green hydrogen economies.
The session reinforced that green hydrogen represents not only an opportunity for industrial decarbonisation but also a strategic pathway towards energy security, economic growth, and long-term sustainability.