Business roundtable meetings on "Green Hydrogen" in Chennai & Bangalore
A business roundtable on the topic of ‘Green Hydrogen’ was organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) along with the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF-SO) in Chennai and Bangalore on 26 and 27 April, respectively.
Ms. Michaela Kuchler, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chennai, welcomed the participants by emphasising on the need for collaboration between the policy makers and industry, and cooperation between India and Germany.
The roundtable in Bangalore was graced by Mr. Achim Burkart, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, who said that the time was now for green hydrogen and for Europe to look towards India for the same. The meetings were also joined by the regional directors of the chambers, Mr. Mallikarjuna Shivasharanappa and Mr. Sumit Sharma, respectively.
The meetings in both cities witnessed participants from academia and the private sector who were eager to learn about the green hydrogen market and the available funding instruments. A detailed presentation was delivered by Mr. Rolf Behrndt, Principal Senior Advisor, GIZ, on the German market for green hydrogen, what this means for India, costs and the viability gaps in the Indian markets.
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) has commissioned the International Hydrogen Ramp-up Programme (H2UPPP), to kickstart early stages of green hydrogen project development. The objective of this funding tool is to identify, prepare and accompany the implementation of projects to produce green hydrogen and power-to-X applications. The focus is on setting up formal public-private-partnerships. Mr. Behrndt also walked the participants through the other funding instruments offered from Germany, such as the PtX Growth Fund and PtX Development offered by KFW Development Bank.
Both the roundtables witnessed intensive discussion about how the Indian market is looking at offtake, fuel cells and other applications of green hydrogen. Several startups expressed their interest of manufacturing not only green hydrogen and ammonia but also electrolysers.
The sessions concluded with a networking high-tea and informal discussions about the next big steps for India to take.