Clean Energy Partnership: US, India set up hydrogen task force

On June 17, 2021, India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), United States Department of Energy (DOE), and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), together launched a US-India Hydrogen Task Force. This is under the aegis of the US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP). The partnership will leverage India’s landmass and green energy sources for exporting green hydrogen as one of the measures for gaining energy sufficiency for the country, as per a draft proposal circulated by the Ministry of New and Renewable energy (MNRE) for the proposed National Hydrogen Energy Mission. India and the US started the Strategic Energy Partnership in New Delhi in April 2018. Four working groups have been formed under the Strategic Energy Partnership — power and energy efficiency, oil and gas, sustainable development and renewable energy. The inaugural meeting of the US-India Strategic Energy Partnership attended by then Rick Perry, US energy secretary, who had pitched the US as a preferred energy partner, took place in April 2018 in New Delhi. On 22 April 2021, at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joseph Biden agreed to start a high-level India-US Partnership which envisions bilateral cooperation on strong measures in the current decade to fulfil the Paris Agreement goals, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated in a 22 April statement. The MEA statement said that the Partnership would continue along with two main steps: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue, which will develop and subsume a range of existing processes. Green hydrogen gas is created by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyser, powered by electricity generated from renewable energy sources. India, the world’s third-largest oil importer is improving its energy sourcing playbook by holding its economic and strategic interests in mind. Clean fuel can be a game-changer for India, which imports 53% of gas and 85% of its oil demand. The USISPF statement said that the Inaugural Session, addressing the high-level priorities for the task force was attended by senior government officials from the Government of India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the US Department of Energy, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Science and Technology, NITI Aayog and Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, and delegates from US India Strategic Partnership Forum, the Secretariat for the Task Force. Image Source Also read: India and UK launch workstream to promote industrial energy efficiency Also read: UK, India announce Rs 10,000 crore trade partnership