India's SECI proposes 1 mil mt/year new renewable ammonia auctions: official

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. has proposed an auction for 1 million metric tons/year of renewable ammonia under the government's subsidy plan, following a successful maiden round of 724,000 mt/y of the commodity last year, managing director Akash Tripathy said Aug. 7.

The 197.44 billion Indian rupees ($2.07 billion) National Green Hydrogen Mission of India, launched in 2023, remains under implementation following multiple auction rounds for the production of renewable hydrogen, electrolyzers and renewable ammonia in the last few years.

"We have given a proposal for 1 million mt," Tripathi said on the sidelines of the 7th CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition 2026. "Once we get the go-ahead from the fertilizer ministry, we will proceed."

Tripathi, whose organization is the key renewable energy auctioning arm of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said all renewable ammonia capacity auctioned so far is proceeding toward production.

The domestic renewable ammonia auctions concluded at a weighted-average price of about $604/mt in 2025, offering a new price point for global trade, industry members said.

"They are all going through. With the Green Ammonia Purchase Agreement and Green Ammonia Sale Agreement [signed up], you have clear visibility," Tripathi said. "They are all in the construction stage."

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed Australia renewable derived ammonia delivered into Far East Asia with high-capacity factors at $759.98/mt Aug. 3, up 1.20% month over month.

Renewable hydrogen subsidy surrendered

Tripathi said a small quantity of the renewable hydrogen capacity for which subsidies were allocated in 2024 and 2025 has been surrendered.

Under the Mission, incentives were awarded for 862,000 mt/y of renewable hydrogen production by SECI to companies including Reliance Green Hydrogen and Green Chemicals, ACME Cleantech Solutions and Oriana Power.

Tripathi said the eMethanol tender, which is under consultation phase, is expected to be launched in the next couple of months.

"We are in discussion with the shipping ministry," he said. "There will be bunkering with one or two of the ports, and it will be used for the maritime industry."

With regard to the possibility of dollar-denominated contracts — a popular demand among bidders — Tripathi said it is "on the table," though there is a chance SECI may open it for bidding in Indian currency.

Tripathi said discussions for a new auction for a green urea tender are in process, which could reduce import dependence for conventional feedstock.

Carbon requirement is key

For both eMethanol and green urea tenders, one crucial requirement is carbon, Tripathi said, with the industry divided over sourcing via biogenic means and carbon capture.

"That will take some time because we need to have CO2," he said. "We can dovetail biogenic CO2 with CCUS."

A report on CCUS released by policy planning body NITI Aayog in 2022 is now under the consideration of the Power Ministry to be set as a Mission, NITI Aayog's Advisor – Energy, Rajnath Ram, told Platts.

The report envisaged a potential CCUS of 750 million mt/y by 2050, according to NITI Aayog.

On India's 2030 renewable energy target of 500 GW, Tripathy expressed confidence about success, as renewable hydrogen deployment will contribute to renewable energy installation.

"The only bottleneck is the transmission network. If that keeps pace, then we will definitely be able to achieve it," Tripathy said, detailing SECI's initiatives to strengthen transmission networks.