India, US launch hydrogen task force
India and the US have launched the US-India Hydrogen Task Force, under the US-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP), the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) said on June 17. The intention to form the task force was announced by the US deputy secretary of energy, David Turk, in April this year.
The task force represents industry and government stakeholders to assess technology status, study innovative policy options, and make recommendations. It was launched by the US department of energy, India's ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), along with the USISPF.
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The inaugural session, discussing the high-level priorities for the task force was attended by senior government officials from the US department of energy, the government of India’s ministry of new and renewable energy, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, ministry of external affairs, ministry of heavy industries, ministry of science and technology, ministry of road transport highways and Niti Aayog; and representatives from the USISPF, the secretariat for the task force.
“Through strong international collaboration, the US and India can help solve the climate crisis by finding ways to scale up access, affordability, and deployment of critical hydrogen technologies,” said Ken Vincent, US-India Hydrogen Task Force co-chair. “The US-India Hydrogen Task Force bridges government research with unique industry perspectives so that we can reach the collective goal of decarbonising high-polluting industrial sectors and achieving a greener, cleaner planet.”
The Hydrogen Task Force will be organised into a steering committee at the government level, an industry council, and working groups or subcommittees in identified priority areas, USISPF said. The focus will be on strengthening cooperation on hydrogen between industry and institutions from both countries.
Prakash Chandra Maithani, adviser ministry of new and renewable energy, will lead the Task Force as the India co-chair. “Hydrogen has the potential to play a key role in low-carbon energy pathways, by enabling penetration of renewable energy across key economic sectors,” Maithani said. “The India-US Hydrogen Task Force framework will foster focused public, private cooperation among the two countries and pave the way for accelerated development and deployment of hydrogen energy technologies.”
Nolty Theriot, senior vice president of government affairs, USISPF said the US India Hydrogen Task Force will help scale up technologies to produce hydrogen from renewable energy and fossil fuel sources and bring down the cost of deployment for enhanced energy security and sustainability.