India's SECI may sign renewable ammonia supply pacts with Japan, the Netherlands: official

The Solar Energy Corp. of India is in discussions with counterparts in Japan and the Netherlands to sign agreements that could pave the way for renewable ammonia supply tenders in the coming months, a senior SECI official said.

SECI is in touch with Japan's state-backed Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), and private market participants in the Netherlands, who are looking to source clean fuels from India, Sanjay Sharma, director of solar at SECI, said July 23.

"We have already done one agreement with Germany (H2Global/HINTCO); ... the Netherlands and Japan are to follow in the next few months," Sharma said at the Second Bharat Green Hydrogen Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

"We will be able to sign the agreements as well as collate the demand for which we will bring out tenders according to their demand and quality standards."

Sharma, who oversees tender design at the government's renewable energy auctioning agency, said potential buyers are keen to procure supplies directly through SECI.

The emerging demand from overseas could help position India as a supplier of renewable fuels to international markets, building on the country's rapid expansion of renewable energy capacity, Sharma said.

Innovative contracts deployed

Sharma said India's renewable energy success stemmed from transparency, bankability, innovation in contract design and sustained policy stability over time.

"These same principles, not only single incentive or a scheme, will determine the success of our green hydrogen ambition," he said, underscoring that the lessons learned from renewable energy tenders are to be applied to renewable hydrogen tenders.

"I have no doubt that India, drawing on the institutional learning of its renewable energy journey, is uniquely positioned to emerge as a global hub for green hydrogen and green molecules."

The next phase of India's energy transition will be shaped not merely by the availability of renewable resources but by the ability to deploy investment rapidly, manage risk efficiently and allow the market to develop with confidence, Sharma said.

"Our experience with solar park and renewable energy zones shows that when land transmission and common infrastructure are made available in advance rather than developed in a piecemeal way by individual project proponents, execution timelines compress dramatically."

He added: "This precisely is the model that green hydrogen hub must now replicate, and we are doing that."

New domestic tenders buzz

On the sidelines of the event, Sharma told Platts, a part of S&P Global Energy, that SECI has had early talks with the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers for considering green urea auctions.

The Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers invited expressions of interest to set up domestic green urea production plants to ensure adequate and timely availability of fertilizers at affordable prices, according to an Expression of Interest document.

Industry members present at the event said Indian Railways would need a supply of renewable hydrogen for its project to introduce new hydrogen locomotives, which may signal new government tenders.

Under the Rupee 197.44 billion ($2 billion) National Green Hydrogen Mission of India, incentives have been awarded for 862,000 mt/year of renewable hydrogen production by SECI in 2024 and 2025.

SECI also awarded 3 gigawatt of electrolyzer capacity and 724,000 mt/year of renewable ammonia capacity to 13 fertilizer firms last year. All of SECI's auctions showed low-cost winning bids.

Platts assessed the India Renewable Hydrogen Term Contract at $3.21/kg on July 23, down 3.89% month over month.