Prime Minister Modi proposed the ambitious One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG) vision in 2018 at the first International Solar Alliance (ISA) conference. Along with OSOWOG is the Green Grids Initiative (GGI), jointly proposed by India and the UK during COP-26 in 2021. This international network of interconnected solar grids has about 140 member nations. Its premise is that “the sun never sets” and, more importantly, varying energy consumption needs in different time zones. For example, Singapore’s peak energy demand from 0900 to 1800 overlaps with London’s off-hours (0100–1000), demonstrating the grid’s 24x7 potential. Hence, countries can harness continuous, renewable energy 24x7 from this global solar grid. They would avoid the high cost of storage batteries as well.
IMEC plays a strategic role in European energy security with its ‘green energy corridor’ of underwater pipelines for green hydrogen and power cables, crucial to the EU’s green transition plans.
The IMEC corridor includes the East Med Poseidon pipeline, transporting hydrogen and natural gas from Israel and Cyprus to Greece and Italy. The East Med pipeline could be used within IMEC to transport green hydrogen produced by Gulf countries. Meanwhile, India is ramping up its investment in green energy, positioning itself to play a more significant role in the global market. In August 2023, Reliance and Canadian Brookfield Asset Management agreed to invest US$20–30 billion in the next decade in Australia’s renewable energy sector. This move would align RIL’s US$100 billion green energy investment in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh with opportunities for workforce skill development in India.
India aims for an optimistic 10% of the global share of green energy. In this context, the government plans to facilitate the development of the required infrastructure, both internally and for export, including storage bunkers, port operations equipment, and refuelling facilities.
Oil companies may, as per government sources, be required to charter at least one ship each to be powered by green hydrogen or derived fuels by 2027. The port infrastructure needed to enable exports of green hydrogen derivatives and pipelines to facilitate bulk transport of green hydrogen will also be developed.
The Shipping Corporation of India, or in the event of its disinvestment, its successor private entity, plans to retrofit at least two ships to run on green hydrogen or other green hydrogen-derived fuels by 2027.
Green steel production occurs when green hydrogen replaces fossil fuels in steel-making. The provision of carbon credits and the imposition of market barriers should further enhance the viability of green hydrogen-based steel. Green ammonia bunkers and refuelling facilities will be set up at least at one port by 2025. So far, three ports have been identified: Paradip Port (Odisha), Deendayal Port (Gujarat), and VO Chidambaranar Port (Tamil Nadu).
Indian industries consume around five million metric tonnes a year of hydrogen produced from fossil fuels. The challenge is to make green hydrogen using renewable sources at a viable cost by 2030, creating about 600,000 new green jobs. This aligns with India’s plan to become ‘Energy Self-Atmanirbhar’ by 2047 and net zero emissions by 2070.
(The writer is a Marine and Shipping consultant. Views personal)
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