Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme

On 29 April, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme for producers.

The aim is to create a framework for:

• Certifying green hydrogen production
• Ensuring transparency, traceability, and market credibility

This certification is intended to:

• Prevent greenwashing
• Mark Indian green hydrogen with quality and credibility
• Make it globally desirable and export-ready

The scheme applies to companies that have bid for government incentives for green hydrogen and its derivatives.

Exporters who have not availed government incentives are excluded from the scheme.

The scheme introduces a ‘materiality threshold’ of 1% of total emissions for identifying and managing emission sources.

Renewable energy used for green hydrogen production can be supplied:

• From any renewable energy project
• Via dedicated or common transmission lines

On 27 April, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)—the nodal agency—also announced an:

• Carbon offset mechanism for hard-to-abate sectors using green hydrogen under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)

The CCTS currently excludes sectors like:

• Steel
• Refineries
• Shipping
• But the new guidelines offer clarity in anticipation of future inclusion

In 2023, the MNRE introduced a green hydrogen standard:

• Capping emissions at 2 kg of CO₂ per kg of hydrogen produced

The certification scheme applies only to green hydrogen produced via:

• Electrolysis
• Biomass conversion

National Green Hydrogen Mission

• The National Green Hydrogen Mission represents India’s ambition to emerge as a global leader in the production and export of green hydrogen.
• Initiated by the Union Cabinet on January 4, 2022, this mission aims to achieve a targeted production capacity of 5 million tonnes per annum of Green Hydrogen by 2030.
• Under this initiative, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) introduced the SIGHT Programme – Component II to incentivize green ammonia production, catering specifically to the fertilizer sector.

(Source: IE & )