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The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has given the go-ahead for a Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster (HVIC) in Kerala.

The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT), which proposed the project, said the HVIC is one of only four projects selected nationally, and the only one led by a State government agency in south India.

MNRE has issued the administrative approval and sanction for the project. It has been cleared under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) on the basis of recommendations made by the Expert Panel Committee (EPC) formed by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, the Green Hydrogen Cell (GH2 Cell) of ANERT said.

A hydrogen valley is a geographical region where the production of hydrogen, its storage, distribution, and use are integrated through pilot and demonstration projects. The HVIC project is aimed at “building a local hydrogen ecosystem by connecting supply and demand across sectors like transport, industry, and energy, while also fostering research, innovation, and skills,” the GH2 Cell, ANERT, said.

Key features of the HVIC project in Kerala include green hydrogen refuelling stations in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, pilot and demonstration projects in land and water transport and industrial sectors in addition to infrastructure such as electrolyser banks for green hydrogen production, hydrogen compression and storage.

Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Hydrogen Valleys serve as scalable, replicable hubs to accelerate India’s clean hydrogen economy, ANERT said.

For Kerala’s HVIC project estimated to cost ₹133.18 crore, MNRE has approved a Central Financial Assistance (CFA) of ₹53.40 crore under NGHM. It has sanctioned the first tranche of ₹21.36 crore (40%), to be released to the not-for-profit company formed by ANERT for the purpose.