Hydrogen today costs around $5 per kilogram and if India can bring this down to $1 dollar per kilogram, we won’t just achieve energy independence, we can become a global exporter of clean energy, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Wednesday.

Highlighting India’s leadership in renewable energy, Gadkari said that solar energy is the ‘Sanjeevani Booti’ for our planet and hydrogen is the fuel of the future.

“I drive a Toyota Mirai, which itself means ‘future’ in Japanese, because I believe hydrogen will transform mobility and energy,” he added.

Speaking at the 24th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) here, the minister emphasised that true progress lies in making “our villages stronger than our cities”.

“With 80 per cent of people still connected to agriculture, we must diversify farming towards energy and power, invest in water conservation, and harness technologies like AI for rural prosperity. Jal, jameen, and jungle must remain the pillars of our growth model,” he told the gathering.

The minister further stated that ethics, economy, ecology, and environment must move together — only then can development generate employment, alleviate poverty, and inspire pride and self-reliance.

The 24th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture was delivered by Ashish Khanna, Director General, International Solar Alliance (ISA), and presided over by Gadkari.

India aims to capture nearly 10 per cent of global green hydrogen demand, which is expected to exceed 100 million metric tonnes by 2030.

According to Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Power and Renewable Energy, India has made substantial progress towards its ambitious green hydrogen production targets, with 862,000 tonnes per annum of production capacity already awarded to 19 companies under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

The government has awarded 3,000 megawatts of electrolyser manufacturing capacity to 15 companies, marking significant industrial development in the sector.