Last Updated on December 10, 2025 by Author
India has stepped into the green hydrogen era with firm intent. The National Green Hydrogen Mission sets the stage for a major energy shift. The country plans to produce at least five million tonnes of green hydrogen every year by 2030 and may expand this to 10 million tonnes with the right export demand. The mission also includes 125 gigawatts of renewable capacity devoted only to hydrogen production.
Investments of more than 8 lakh crore rupees are expected to flow into the ecosystem, creating close to 6 lakh jobs. The ambition is also clear on sustainability. India aims to cut almost 50 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually while reducing fossil fuel imports worth more than one lakh crore rupees. The long-term hope is to export up to 10 million tonnes of hydrogen and its derivatives and capture about 10 per cent of the global hydrogen market.
These numbers show the scale of the vision. Yet they also reveal a missing link. Production capacity alone cannot deliver a national transition. Hydrogen has value only when it can be purified, stored, moved and supplied safely at scale. This requires an engineering backbone that develops at the same pace as production. India now needs to build this infrastructure so hydrogen can shift from a promising idea to a dependable energy resource.
The Core Challenge: Bridging the Distance
Hydrogen generation will rise in regions rich in solar and wind power. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Ladakh will lead this phase. The demand side tells a different story. Refineries, fertiliser complexes, steel plants and chemical industries are located across western, northern, eastern and southern belts. Moving hydrogen between these distant points calls for systems that maintain purity and prevent energy loss.
Purity maintenance is crucial because even minor contaminants can harm fuel cells or catalytic equipment. Hydrogen also spreads quickly and reacts instantly, which weakens metals if the material design is not precise. Pressure vessels and pipelines need to be built with materials that can resist these effects. The choice between gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen or ammonia also affects cost, efficiency and safety. Each path has different engineering needs.
These issues are not setbacks. There are opportunities for India’s manufacturing sector to innovate. Advanced metallurgy, automated production lines and integrated design systems can help the country build a robust hydrogen network suited to its climate and industrial conditions.
The Four Pillars of a Hydrogen Ready India
A hydrogen ecosystem rests on four core foundations that work together to make the fuel usable at scale. The first is purity and pipeline integrity. Hydrogen must stay clean from production to delivery, which demands advanced alloys, specialised coatings and strong purification units such as PSA and membrane systems. These materials protect pipelines from embrittlement and keep hydrogen reliable across long distances and shifting climates. Another is storage. Because hydrogen is light and diffuse, it needs engineered solutions that balance safety and efficiency. Large ASME grade pressure vessels anchor long-term storage. Modular tanks and metal hydride or cryogenic systems support varied industrial needs. This mix ensures that hydrogen is available whenever demand peaks.
The third is ammonia. India already handles ammonia at scale, which gives the country a head start. Ammonia carries hydrogen safely over long distances and can be cracked back into hydrogen at the point of use. This creates a practical route for both domestic transport and future exports to Asia and Europe. The fourth and the last is system integration. Industries need hydrogen systems that are easy to adopt. Containerised, PLC-controlled units bring electrolysers, purifiers, compressors, and safety systems into compact packages. These units reduce installation time and allow industries to begin hydrogen use without major infrastructure upgrades.
Together, these pillars create a unified ecosystem. They turn hydrogen from a produced fuel into a dependable resource and give Indian manufacturers room to lead through precision engineering and strong automation.
The Engineering Imperative: Quality and Execution
India’s long-term success depends on precision engineering. High integrity fabrication, strong welding capability, reliable PSA systems and advanced automation will shape the credibility of the hydrogen ecosystem. Many Indian manufacturing units already follow ASME and global safety codes. The next phase demands consistency, scalability and a culture of rigorous process safety. When design, materials and execution come together, policy vision becomes working infrastructure.
In Essence
India’s green hydrogen journey requires cooperation among the government, industry leaders, and engineering experts. The country must invest in skilled talent, strong standards, and domestic manufacturing aligned with Make in India. By building this infrastructure now, India strengthens its energy independence and positions itself as a competitive global supplier. The work done today in metallurgy, automation and integrated system design will shape the nation’s place in the global hydrogen economy for decades ahead.