New Delhi, March 7: The India-UK Green Hydrogen Standards and Safety Protocol Conference was held in New Delhi, bringing together representatives from the governments of India and the UK, industry, academia, standard bodies, testing institutions, research organizations, and regulatory agencies.
The conference was organized by the National Hydrogen Safety Centre (NHSC) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), in collaboration with the British High Commission in India and WRI India, in support of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Key discussions focused on the regulatory framework, international standards, and safety protocols in the green hydrogen value chain, including production, storage, transportation, and end-use applications.
The inaugural session began with a contextual address by Mohammad Rehan, Director General of the National Institute of Solar Energy. Following this, Abhay Bakre, Director of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Jinoos Shariati, First Secretary (Trade) at the British High Commission in India, Anjan Kumar Mishra, Secretary of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, and Laura Ailet, First Secretary (Climate and Energy) at the British High Commission, shared their insights.
Parvinder Mani, Scientific Secretary at the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, emphasized the importance of a robust safety framework, standard development, and international cooperation to enable the large-scale adoption of green hydrogen technologies.
A key highlight of the conference was the participation of national regulators responsible for hydrogen safety and standards. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) shared regulatory perspectives on safety compliance, risk assessment, and disaster management for hydrogen systems. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) provided updates on ongoing efforts to align the evolving standard framework and Indian hydrogen standards with international best practices.
Technical sessions featured presentations and discussions on safety practices in the hydrogen value chain by prominent experts from industry, academia, and research institutions. Speakers included representatives from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, NTPC Limited, Automotive Research Association of India, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Arup, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Cochin University of Science and Technology, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
Sessions covered safety practices in end-use applications of hydrogen, safe design and operation of hydrogen production, storage, and transportation systems, risk assessment methodologies, incident case studies, and emerging innovations such as advanced sensor technologies and AI-enabled monitoring for hydrogen safety. The conference concluded with a shared commitment between India and the UK to strengthen collaboration on standards development, regulatory capacity building, and safety frameworks to promote the reliable and large-scale use of green hydrogen technologies.