Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the launch of India's first hydrogen highways on Friday, marking a significant milestone during the second day of the inaugural World Hydrogen India event. The announcement represents India's ambitious push toward achieving self-reliance in fuel and transforming agriculture into an energy powerhouse.

Comprehensive Trial Program

The initiative includes the world's first large-scale hydrogen truck trials, with a budgetary allocation of INR 500 crore sanctioned to five consortia across ten routes. The program will involve 37 vehicles participating in trials that will run for two years across key routes, including Delhi, Greater Noida, Agra, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Puri, Surat, Vadodara, Sahibabad, Faridabad, Pune, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Kalinga, Thiruvananthapuram, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam.

These routes are strategically designed to link industry clusters, ports, and freight corridors where hydrogen can make an immediate impact. Nine hydrogen refuelling stations will be established to support these trials, creating the ecosystem for clean, long-haul mobility.

Industry Partnerships and Infrastructure

The project involves major industry partners, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Volvo, BPCL, IOCL, NTPC, and Reliance. Gadkari emphasized that the project's scope extends beyond vehicles and encompasses the entire hydrogen value chain, including compression, storage, transportation, and refueling infrastructure. Gadkari made the announcement while virtually addressing a gathering of global industry leaders, policymakers, and energy experts at the event organized by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Economic Impact and National Goals

Gadkari highlighted the critical need to reduce India's dependence on crude imports, which currently account for 87 percent of demand and cost the nation nearly INR 22 lakh crore every year. The minister described hydrogen as “the fuel of the future” and outlined ambitious national targets for the hydrogen sector. India aims to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030.

According to Gadkari, this transition is expected to generate 6 lakh jobs and attract an investment of INR 8 lakh crore. The minister projected that this transition is expected to cut fossil fuel imports by INR 1 lakh crore per year and reduce CO2 emissions by 3.6 gigatons by 2050, equivalent to planting over 1,000 crore trees.

Vision for Sustainable Growth

During the event, Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, emphasized that India's growth journey to becoming a USD 30 trillion economy by 2047 must be anchored in sustainability. Kant stated that green hydrogen is not just an energy story but encompasses jobs, exports, manufacturing, competitiveness, and climate leadership. “If anything can decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors like cement, shipping, aviation, and long-haul transport, only green hydrogen can. India is climatically blessed and uniquely placed to lead this global race,” Kant said, according to a news agency.

Kant emphasized the importance of government-to-government agreements, local electrolyzer manufacturing, global marketing of India's green hydrogen story, large-scale skilling initiatives, and world-class regulation to establish India as the global hub of hydrogen. Gadkari emphasized that India will position itself as a manufacturer, innovator, and exporter in the hydrogen sector, converting agriculture into energy while securing fuel supplies, creating jobs, and cutting emissions simultaneously.

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