India Unveils First Hydrogen Highways, Fertiliser Sector Eyes Green Transformation

India has launched its first hydrogen highways, marking a major stride toward building a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem. Announcing the initiative on Day 2 of the inaugural World Hydrogen India, organised by S&P Global Commodity Insights, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, outlined India’s vision for fuel self-reliance and transforming agriculture into an energy powerhouse.

He highlighted the urgency to reduce crude oil imports, which currently cover 87 percent of domestic demand at a cost of nearly INR  22 lakh crore annually.

The summit opened with a welcome address by Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, who highlighted India’s strategic energy transition and the importance of building a globally competitive hydrogen ecosystem.

“Hydrogen is the fuel of the future. We have initiated the world’s first large-scale hydrogen truck trials with a budget of Rs 500 crore, involving five consortiums and ten routes. Thirty-seven vehicles from Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Volvo, BPCL, IOCL, NTPC, and Reliance are participating, supported by nine hydrogen refuelling stations. These corridors will form India’s first hydrogen highways and lay the foundation for clean, long-haul mobility,” Gadkari said.

The two-year trials will cover strategic routes connecting industrial hubs, ports, and freight corridors, including Greater Noida, Delhi, Agra, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Puri, Vadodara, Surat, Sahibabad, Faridabad, Pune, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Kalinga, Thiruvananthapuram, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Vishakhapatnam. The project encompasses the full hydrogen ecosystem, including production, compression, storage, transport, and refuelling infrastructure.

Gadkari further outlined India’s ambitious targets: producing 5 million tons of green hydrogen annually by 2030, generating 6 lakh jobs, attracting INR  8 lakh crore in investments, reducing fossil fuel imports by INR 1 lakh crore per year, and cutting CO₂ emissions by 3.6 gigatons by 2050, equivalent to planting over 1,000 crore trees.

Simultaneously, the fertiliser sector is exploring a shift from grey to green hydrogen to decarbonise ammonia and urea production. The summit featured high-level discussions, including a fireside chat on the chemical industry’s role in hydrogen adoption with Dr Prasad Chapekar (Deputy Secretary, MNRE) and Ruchira Singh (Editor – Energy Transition, S&P Global). A dedicated fertiliser panel, Fertiliser Sector Transformation: From Grey to Green Hydrogen, included Manish Goswami, Chief (Technical), Fertiliser Association of India, and Saurabh Patil, Analyst at S&P Global, discussing economic viability, collaboration models, and supply chain strategies for green hydrogen in ammonia and urea production.

Technical insights on electrolysis and green hydrogen scalability were presented by Rajiv Narang, Executive Director, S&P Global, while Shushil Kumar Singh, Chairman of Mumbai and Deendayal Port Authorities, stressed the importance of certification, standards, and dedicated shipping corridors to make Indian hydrogen globally competitive.

Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the two-day World Hydrogen India summit provided a strategic platform to discuss regulations, financing, and trade strategies critical for advancing India’s hydrogen ambitions.