The Netherlands and India combine expertise on green hydrogen

Background and rationale

The rationale for this collaboration is that green hydrogen can play a strategic role in strengthening the economic position of both countries, creating new market opportunities, and increasing the resilience of industry and society against global shocks.

TNO and RVO explored in their latest report, "Strategic Directions for Netherlands–India Joint Initiatives on Green Hydrogen Technologies," how the Netherlands and India can strengthen each other in the field of green hydrogen.

The report focuses on policy, technology, market development, joint innovation, and overcoming barriers such as certification, infrastructure, and costs. The report was launched at the India Energy Week 2026, in Goa, by Dr Michiel Heijdra,Director General for Climate & Energy.

Collaboration

The Netherlands brings in-depth expertise in innovation, system integration, and hydrogen technologies, supported by a strong national strategy and infrastructure. Besides, the Netherlands is currently handling 13 percent of the total EU energy use through the Port of Rotterdam.

India, in turn, offers enormous scale, rapidly growing renewable energy capacity, and a strong policy commitment through the National Green Hydrogen Mission. By combining these complementary strengths, a solid foundation for long-term cooperation can be established.

The shared goal is to translate the potential of green hydrogen into concrete actions and projects, enabling both countries not only to accelerate their own energy transition but also to strengthen their economic resilience and international position.

Opportunities and recommendations

The Netherlands–India strategic partnership presents an opportunity to accelerate the global energy transition by combining Dutch technological leadership, the European market’s demand potential and willingness to pay and India’s scale and ambition.

The report identified actionable opportunities and recommendations across five key stakeholder domains: policy and mission, financial & investment, infrastructure & supply chain, R&D & innovation, and electrolyser manufacturing. The opportunities identified in the study are:

1. aligning policy and regulation to meet government ambitions;
2. valorising India’s green hydrogen targets into bankable projects that reach final investment decision;
3. developing a dedicated India–Netherlands green hydrogen corridor to unlock European demand;
4. accelerating innovation and technology scale-up through joint R&D and centres of excellence;
5. building resilient supply chains for large-scale electrolyser manufacturing.

Challenges

The global hydrogen development also faces challenges, such as differences in certification and regulation, scaling up production and infrastructure, reducing costs and local sourcing, and responsible management of water use and raw materials. By addressing these challenges together, the Netherlands and India can further strengthen their position as leaders in the energy transition.

Future outlook

To make this collaboration tangible, it is important to focus on concrete structural long-term cooperation. Future efforts should focus on joint pilots, harmonisation of standards, and development of bankable projects. Knowledge exchange and joint innovation are essential to realise these ambitions and to create international impact.

About India Energy Week 2026

India Energy Week 2026 is taking place from 27-30 January in Goa, India, one of Asia’s premier energy events, bringing together global leaders, innovators, and policymakers to accelerate the energy transition.

This year, the Netherlands' mission to the India Energy Week is led by Dr Michiel Heijdra, Vice Minister for Climate and Green Growth, who is accompanied by Mr Han Feenstra, Coordinator of the Hydrogen International Program at the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth. TNO is also part of the Netherlands mission, comprising 21 Dutch companies.

Want to know more?

Curious about the opportunities and concrete collaboration possibilities between the Netherlands and India in the field of green hydrogen? Download the full report by TNO and RVO, or contact our experts directly for more information and an exploratory conversation about joint projects. Together, we can accelerate the energy transition and strengthen our economic resilience.