India-UK Conference Forges Path for Safer Green Hydrogen Deployment

The conference was organized by the National Centre for Hydrogen Safety (NCHS), established under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to support the National Green Hydrogen Mission, in collaboration with the British High Commission in India and WRI India, and featured key discussions on regulatory frameworks, international standards, and safety protocols across the green hydrogen value chain, including production, storage, transportation, and end-use applications.

The inaugural session commenced with context-setting remarks by Mohammad Rihan, Director General, National Institute of Solar Energy. This was followed by special addresses by Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, National Green Hydrogen Mission, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Jinoos Shariati, First Secretary (Trade), British High Commission in India; Anjan Kumar Mishra, Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board; and Laura Aylett, First Secretary (Climate & Energy), British High Commission in India.

Delivering the keynote address, Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, emphasised the importance of strong safety frameworks, standards development, and international collaboration to enable the large-scale deployment of green hydrogen technologies.

A key highlight of the conference was the participation of national regulators responsible for hydrogen safety and standards. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) shared regulatory perspectives on safety compliance, risk assessment, and hazard management for hydrogen systems. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) presented insights on the evolving standards framework and ongoing efforts to align Indian hydrogen standards with international best practices.

Technical sessions during the conference featured presentations and discussions by eminent experts from industry, academia, and research institutions on safety practices across the hydrogen value chain. Speakers included representatives from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, NTPC Limited, Automotive Research Association of India, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Arup, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Cochin University of Science and Technology, and Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

The sessions covered safety practices in hydrogen end-use applications, safe design and operation of hydrogen production, storage and transportation systems, risk assessment methodologies, incident case studies, and emerging innovations such as advanced sensor technologies and AI-enabled monitoring for hydrogen safety. The conference concluded with a shared commitment from India and the UK to strengthen collaboration on standards development, regulatory capacity building, and safety frameworks to support the reliable and large-scale deployment of green hydrogen technologies.

The conference concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration between India and the UK on developing robust standards, regulatory frameworks, and safety protocols to support the safe and large-scale deployment of green hydrogen technologies. The deliberations are expected to contribute to ongoing efforts under the National Green Hydrogen Mission to build a comprehensive safety ecosystem and facilitate the growth of a reliable and globally competitive green hydrogen sector in India.

- ANI