Green activists hail budget policy on green hydrogen

New Delhi, Feb 1 : Environment activists and experts on Monday said the Budget announcements that India will soon have a policy on green hydrogen is a welcome step but expressed displeasure over lack of policy on closing inefficient coal plants and clarity on electric public transport vehicles.
Responding to the budget announcements, Aarti Khosla, Director Climate Trends, told IANS there were several key indicators that the budget was in line with global trends.
“The announcement that India will soon have a policy on green hydrogen is very much welcomed. Germany and many other EU countries have already set an ambitious green hydrogen policy. Even countries like UAE and Australia that are traditionally considered as the laggards of climate action have moved towards green hydrogen,” she said.
Another good indicator was reduced allocation to coal exploration, a reduction of 30 per cent compared to what was allocated in the previous budget, Khosla added.
Describing the budget a mixed bag for the environment, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis’ (IEEFA) Senior Energy Economist Vibhuti Garg said in the power sector, the government announced infusion of funds to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), increased custom duties on solar lanterns and inverters to boost domestic manufacturing and also launching the National Hydrogen Mission. “What is missing is the support for closure of inefficient coal plants.” “In the transport sector again, while there is allocation for augmentation of public bus transport services, it doesn’t say whether it will be electric vehicles.”