New Delhi: India has taken a significant leap toward cleaner industrial production by allocating ₹455 crore for pilot projects that will incorporate hydrogen into the steel sector, Parliament was informed on Friday, reports Hans India.
The funding is approved under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, spearheaded by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, and will remain available until the financial year 2029–30.
The purpose of these pilot projects is to significantly reduce the carbon emissions from steelmaking, which Minister of State for Steel Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma highlighted in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha as one of the nation’s most energy-intensive industries. The introduction of hydrogen is specifically intended to decrease the sector’s reliance on coal and lower emissions.
So far, four pilot projects have already been approved: one within a central public sector enterprise and three at private-sector steel plants.
This initiative is part of broader government efforts to expand the production of green or low-carbon steel, aligning with India’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. As a foundational step, the Ministry of Steel officially announced the Taxonomy of Green Steel on December 23, 2024. This new framework provides clear standards for classifying and defining low-emission steel.
Under this new classification system, 43 private steel units have already received ‘Green Steel Certificates’. These certified plants have a combined annual production capacity of 11.6 million tonnes, currently producing 7.1 million tonnes of green steel per year. This certification is expected to motivate more companies to adopt cleaner technologies and shift toward sustainable production methods.
To support this transition, the Ministry of Steel also released a detailed document titled “Greening the Steel Sector in India: Roadmap and Action Plan.” This report, which is based on recommendations from 14 special task forces, outlines long-term strategies for making the Indian steel industry cleaner and more sustainable, serving as a guide for the sector’s contribution to the country’s net-zero goal.
