Since its launch in 2021, India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission has generated a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty across the clean-tech sector. The mission, designed to position India as a leading producer and exporter of green hydrogen, places heavy emphasis on building transparent, resilient supply chains for the technologies that underpin this emerging industry. Electrolyzer components, in particular, have emerged as a critical focus. And perhaps rightly so—given that the entire premise of green hydrogen rests on the integrity and sustainability of these systems. Yet, as one digs deeper, the complexities start to multiply, and the ideal of transparency proves more challenging than initial policy statements might have suggested.
Startups and scale-ups operating in India’s green hydrogen space are beginning to grapple with these issues in earnest. There’s no shortage of ambition, of course. Many of these firms are staffed by engineers and entrepreneurs keen to build a sector from the ground up, free from some of the legacy issues that have dogged other parts of the energy industry. But the practicalities of sourcing electrolyzer catalysts, membranes, and other key components are turning out to be more difficult to navigate than many had hoped. Part of the problem lies in the opacity of global supply chains for these technologies. Many critical parts are imported, with origins that can be surprisingly hard to pin down—especially in a market where demand for these components is surging globally.
This is where the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) open import data is starting to play a quietly transformative role. Some of the more forward-looking clean-tech startups have begun to integrate this data into their procurement and compliance workflows. The value of doing so is twofold. First, it allows firms to trace the origins of catalysts and other inputs—platinum-group metals, rare earths, advanced ceramics—back to specific countries or, where data granularity permits, even particular manufacturers. This helps companies assess risks linked to geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, or supply instability. Second, the data supports these firms in meeting growing expectations from investors, customers, and regulators around supply-chain transparency and ethical sourcing. While DGFT data isn’t perfect—it can be patchy or lag in some cases—it provides a starting point that many firms previously lacked.
Still, integrating DGFT data is hardly a plug-and-play exercise. Firms are finding that building meaningful supply-chain maps from raw import records requires careful curation, cross-referencing, and, frankly, a lot of manual work. Some have begun to invest in data analytics tools or partnerships with specialized providers who can help them parse and visualize these datasets. Others are developing in-house expertise, often bringing in talent from logistics or trade compliance backgrounds to bolster their capabilities. There’s also an emerging recognition that, as the sector matures, supply-chain data will become not just a compliance requirement but a potential competitive advantage.
Mapping green hydrogen production hubs adds yet another layer to this evolving picture. The mission’s initial documents spoke in broad terms about establishing clusters of production linked to renewable energy sources. Now, with early projects breaking ground, firms and policymakers alike are turning to geospatial input data to refine their plans. Solar irradiance maps, wind resource assessments, water availability data—these are becoming staples of project feasibility studies. But newer datasets are entering the mix as well: land-use patterns, grid connectivity status, even socio-economic indicators that can help anticipate potential friction points around land acquisition or local community impacts.
Some startups are beginning to experiment with integrating these diverse geospatial inputs into dynamic mapping tools, often borrowing techniques from urban planning or environmental science. It’s not always smooth going. Data quality varies; compatibility between datasets can be a headache; and there’s the perennial challenge of keeping information up to date in a fast-moving sector. But the potential payoffs are significant. Better maps mean better decisions—on where to site production, how to link it to transport infrastructure, and how to minimize environmental and social impacts. It also positions firms to respond credibly to scrutiny from investors, regulators, and the wider public, all of whom are watching the sector’s growth with a mixture of enthusiasm and concern.
If there’s a common thread running through all of this, it might be the tension between speed and due diligence. The National Green Hydrogen Mission sets ambitious targets for production capacity and export earnings. Meeting those targets will require rapid scaling. But scaling without robust supply-chain and production mapping could invite risks that undermine both commercial viability and public trust. For now, at least, firms are feeling their way through this balancing act, with no simple template to follow.