India in talks to export green hydrogen, official says

By Mohi Narayan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is in initial talks with the governments of other countries to export green hydrogen made in the South Asian nation, an official of its foreign ministry said on Thursday, even as challenges remain in adapting the clean-burning fuel.

Green hydrogen, derived from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, has the best environmental credentials since there are few or no carbon dioxide emissions.

It has been touted as key to decarbonising industries that rely on coal, gas and oil, but the costs of production have traditionally been much higher than other forms of hydrogen, while there are also uncertainties about the demand worldwide.

"We are in a position to make green hydrogen as our main source of energy in the future," Prabhat Kumar, an additional secretary of the external affairs ministry, said at an industry event in New Delhi.

Kumar said India has plenty of sunshine which makes it viable for the country to produce green hydrogen, but did not specify a time frame for its export.

(Reporting by Mohi Narayan in New Delhi; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Christian Schmollinger)