PM’s Europe tour advances hydrogen, offshore wind partnerships
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five-nation tour from May 15-20 resulted in multiple agreements linked to India’s clean energy, semiconductor, hydrogen, and offshore wind sectors, including a new Strategic Partnership with the Netherlands and five agreements with Norway.
A hydrogen fuel cell collaboration between Advait Energy Transitions Limited and TECO Fuel Cell Technology AS was also signed in the presence of the Prime Minister and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Netherlands partnership
During the Prime Minister’s visit to the Netherlands on May 16-17, India and the Netherlands announced a Strategic Partnership covering semiconductors, renewable energy, green hydrogen, critical minerals, maritime infrastructure, sustainable mobility, artificial intelligence, and climate transition.
A semiconductor cooperation agreement was signed between the Dutch Semicon Competence Centre and India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). The collaboration involves Eindhoven University, University of Twente, six Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, and companies including ASML Holding, NXP Semiconductors, Tata Group, and CG Semi.
India and the Netherlands also formed a Joint Working Group on renewable energy cooperation focusing on solar, energy storage, and green hydrogen investments. Both sides launched an India-Netherlands Roadmap on Green Hydrogen covering production, utilisation, exports, and hydrogen adoption.
Additional areas of cooperation include battery technologies, smart charging, circular economy systems, waste-to-value initiatives, and critical minerals supply chains for clean energy manufacturing.
The Netherlands also joined the Global Biofuel Alliance and was invited to participate in the Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC).
Norway agreements
In Oslo, India and Norway signed five agreements focused on offshore wind, ocean technologies, sustainable innovation, and clean energy research.
A project collaboration between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) institutes and Norwegian research organisation SINTEF will focus on floating offshore wind systems, reduction in Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), pilot demonstrations, ESG standards, and skill development.
The participating CSIR institutes include CSIR-SERC, CSIR-NAL, CSIR-NIO, and CSIR-4PI. CSIR will provide funding support of around Rs 341 lakh for the project.
India also extended its research partnership with SINTEF for 2026-2029, covering ocean energy, hybrid offshore technologies, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), bio-based materials, waste valorisation, and innovation hubs.
Another agreement between the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), CSIR, and the Research Council of Norway (RCN) will support collaborative research projects, scientist exchanges, workshops, and capacity-building programmes.
Hydrogen collaboration
On the sidelines of the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 18, Advait Energy Transitions signed an agreement with TECO Fuel Cell Technology AS for hydrogen fuel cell technology collaboration.
The agreement was signed by Shalin Sheth, Promoter and Managing Director of Advait, and Tore Enger, Executive Chairman of TECO Maritime Group and Chief Executive Officer of TECO Fuel Cell Technology AS.
The partnership will focus on domestic manufacturing through knowledge transfer and joint engineering under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
The companies plan to target stationary power applications, including data centres, from Q1 CY2027, heavy-duty mobility applications from Q1 CY2028, and maritime and shipping applications through CY2028.
The featured photograph is for representation only.
