Taking the lead in India’s big leap towards green hydrogen manufacturing, the Gujarat cabinet approved the draft land allocation policy for green hydrogen projects. Land parcels of 1.99 lakh hectare have been earmarked for five key players – private sector entities – eyeing their foray into the green hydrogen manufacturing, in addition to other incentives and the allocation will soon begin, according to key sources privy to the development.
The key players, which have received in-principle approval for land parcels in Kutch and Banaskantha districts from the state government, include Reliance New Energy Limited ( 74,750 ha), Adani New Industries Limited (84,486 ha), Torrent Power Limited (18,000 ha), ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Limited (14,393 ha) and Welspun Group (8,000 ha).
Against a demand of 3.26 lakh hectare in company proposals, the state cabinet has okayed 1.99 lakh hectare at the rate of Rs 15,000 per hectare on a 40-year lease basis. “Further land allocation may be approved in the coming days,” a source said. The government will earn an estimated Rs 299 crore from these land parcels.
The government will accept Rs 2,998 crore as security deposit from these five companies. The total renewable power generation using green hydrogen on the proposed land is expected to be 99,814 MW with 39.95 lakh metric tonne green hydrogen production, suggest government estimates.
Among the players, the Reliance Group has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the state to set up a 100GW renewable energy park and green hydrogen park in addition to manufacturing electrolysers, with an investment of Rs 5.6 lakh crore. On the other hand, the Adani Group has also announced an ambitious investment plan worth $70 billion towards green energy projects. The state government will soon announce a new policy incentivizing green hydrogen production in Gujarat. In fact, Green Hydrogen projects are expected to get priority sector status and will be especially highlighted in the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) .
