New Delhi: Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi launched the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI) on Tuesday. He said that the scheme is a foundational step towards creating a robust framework for certifying green hydrogen production and ensuring transparency, traceability, and market credibility. Delivering the inaugural address at the one-day National Workshop on opportunities for “Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Green Hydrogen Supply Chain,” Joshi reiterated the government’s commitment to fostering innovation-led growth and emphasized that MSMEs will serve as the backbone of India's energy transition through their innovative capabilities and localised solutions. He highlighted the critical role MSMEs will play in realising the Green Hydrogen mission’s objectives of building a self-reliant green hydrogen ecosystem by 2030.
The workshop organised by the MNRE was aimed at exploring opportunities and discuss key role of MSMEs in development of green hydrogen ecosystem in India. Over 300 delegates drew participation from different stakeholder groups, including MSMEs, policymakers, technology providers, industry associations, and international partners.
MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi highlighted some key achievements in the implementation of National Green Hydrogen Mission. He stressed upon the importance of building capacities, facilitating finance, and strengthening technology linkages to empower MSMEs to meaningfully participate in this new industrial landscape. He reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to building institutional and infrastructural support for green hydrogen, with MSMEs playing a critical role.
The workshop featured four focused technical sessions on themes like, Technology Collaboration for MSMEs, Business Opportunities in the Green Hydrogen Supply Chain, Decentralised Hydrogen Production through Biomass and Catalysing Investments in the Green Hydrogen Ecosystem. Panelists deliberated on R&D collaboration models, indigenisation of components such as bipolar plates and electrolysers, and the role of knowledge institutions.
Discussions centered on the integration of MSMEs into large-scale projects. Experts from international agencies and corporate leaders outlined business models and market opportunities, advocating for systematic MSME engagement strategies. Expert speakers presented use cases on thermochemical and biochemical conversion of biomass to hydrogen, exploring their application in rural industries. The session highlighted the potential of decentralised models to meet local demand while promoting circular economy principles.
Financial institutions, including the World Bank, IREDA, KfW, and IIFCL, discussed de-risking strategies, blended finance mechanisms, and the need to design green credit lines accessible to MSMEs.
"The workshop marked an important step towards mainstreaming MSMEs in India’s clean energy transition and showed MNRE’s commitment towards building an inclusive, technology-driven, and decentralized green hydrogen economy. The workshop saw active participation from MSMEs, who showed strong interest in entering the green hydrogen sector, particularly in areas such as component manufacturing, operations and maintenance services, and rural hydrogen generation," said the ministry.
Participants emphasised the need for standardised protocols, shared platforms for joint innovation, and the formation of Green Hydrogen Clusters to help MSMEs combine capacities and benefit from economies of scale. The discussions also highlighted the importance of clear demand signals and long-term policy stability to encourage private investment. Experts noted India’s strong potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub for green hydrogen technologies, especially electrolysers and fuel cells.
