India Times reported this week that Reliance Industries, Tata Motors, and IOC are the top three bidders for a green or grey hydrogen pilot for the Indian government. This project aligns closely with India’s decarbonization goals and hopes to address core operational challenges about ramping up hydrogen production. Through projects like this, India is hoping to become less dependent upon fossil fuels, as well as become a leader in green hydrogen technologies.

This specific project wants to identify technology readiness gaps, what regulations might be needed, implement methods, what infrastructure is needed, and how to establish effective supply chains. As the focus of this project will be on transportation, India’s government is looking to deploy hydrogen-powered buses, trucks, and cars. 

One unique aspect of the transportation project is that bidders need to address the whole value chain, so many applicants have teamed up to submit proposals. Reliance Industries has teamed up with Ashok Leyland and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV); Tata Motors is partnering with IOC; and Ashok Leyland has also collaborated with NTPC for the project.

While it may take some time for decisions to be made on which participants have made it to final considerations, it’s clear that dynamic opportunities for clean energy technologies are ramping up in India and smart energy vendors, especially those in the hydrogen space, need to be ready to take advantage.