First of many and milestone in development: EU Energy Commissioner on first EU-India Green Hydrogen Forum

New Delhi [India], September 8 : While delivering an address on the first edition of the EU-India Green Hydrogen Forum, European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson said that this would be the first of many and a milestone in the development of solid cooperation on green hydrogen between EU and India.
Understanding the geopolitical events and shifts, she stressed that Europe cannot remain dependent on Russia for energy.
"Since February, it has been impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This unprovoked and unjustified aggression has made it very clear to the EU that we cannot rely on Russia as our partner in energy. It means that the implementation of the European Green Deal is now even more urgent".
"Both India and the EU, we have our sights set on net zero-- the EU by 2050 and India by 2070. And India has committed to producing 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030", she added.
The forum focussed on exchanging best practices and policies on the role of hydrogen in energy systems, discussing the state of play of existing and upcoming hydrogen projects in the EU and India as well as clean hydrogen production and application technologies, and prospects for international Hydrogen trade and need for certification frameworks.
While emphasizing India's efforts for decarbonization and how the government of India considers the environment, a matter of faith, RK Singh, Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, India said, "Despite our population, our contribution to the Global Carbon dioxide emission is just 3.4 per cent."
"For us as a Government, the environment is a matter of faith. If you look at the global stock of CO2, our share is very small despite our population. The environment is something that everybody believes in. I don't get any pushback on the environment and energy transition. We have already become the fifth largest economy. We have a huge market. We will become third in a few years. He (PM Modi) announced the hydrogen mission on independence day. We came out with a policy formulation. We are going to decarbonise and we are already decarbonising at a rapid rate. You will see green cars everywhere. We are the most attractive markets for investment", the minister added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Hydrogen Mission on India's 75th Independence Day (15th August 2021). The Mission aimed to aid the government in meeting its climate targets and making India a green hydrogen hub.
"I had a good discussion on the clean #energytransition of India & EU with @RajKSinghIndia. We have a strong joint interest in developing #renewable #hydrogen, solar and wind energy, #energyefficiency & #storage solutions. We intend to deepen cooperation on all these fronts. Offshore wind is one of the key #cleantechnologies that has enormous potential both in the EU & India. We are planning to hold the first EU-India Offshore Wind Summit next year," the commissioner tweeted post the bilateral meeting.
Current EU-India climate and energy relations are guided by the Clean Energy and Climate Partnership, agreed at the EU-India Summit on March 30, 2016 with the aim of reinforcing cooperation on clean energy and for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, strengthening joint activities for the deployment of climate-friendly energy sources. At the Leaders Meeting in Porto in May 2021, a new connectivity partnership was agreed upon, also with a view to supporting the implementation of the Clean Energy and Climate Partnership.
The EU and India have intensified in recent years their energy dialogue. They successfully work together in a number of areas: energy efficiency in buildings, solar energy, offshore wind energy, integration of renewable energy through smart grids, electricity market regulation and biofuels. In December 2021, the EU and India decided to add new topics of mutual interest, such as hydrogen.
Yesterday on the first day of her visit, the Commissioner for Energy underscored the importance of solar energy for Europe as well as the growing cooperation between the EU and India under the 2016 Clean Energy and Climate Partnership. She highlighted also the need for a secure and diversified supply chain, including by strengthening PV manufacturing capacities in different regions of the world. She emphasised the role of open, competitive and rule-based market solutions for solar energy.
While India celebrates its 75th year of Independence, it also celebrates 60 years of diplomatic relations with the European Union.