India maps a roadmap for 'green urea' — fertiliser made with clean hydrogen

The Department of Fertilizers held a pre-bid meeting on setting up green urea plants, backed by multi-ministry funding and a differential-pricing shield — a push to make carbon-neutral fertiliser, powered by green hydrogen and ammonia, a reality in India.

What happened

• The Department of Fertilizers (DoF) conducted a high-level Pre-Expression of Interest (EOI) Meeting on establishing Green Urea Plants in India, at PDIL, Noida, chaired by Joint Secretary Dr K.K. Pathak (also CMD, PDIL).
• Following the DoF's EOI invitation, stakeholders across the value chain participated — NTPC, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), ammonia-urea technology suppliers, major fertiliser firms, and makers of electrolysers, green hydrogen and green ammonia.
• Discussions highlighted coordinated multi-ministry support — including MNRE's ₹19,744 crore for green-energy infrastructure (the National Green Hydrogen Mission) — and an offtaker-side differential pricing mechanism under which SECI buys green ammonia and supplies it to fertiliser companies at market-linked grey-ammonia prices (two-week Platts/Argus average plus duties and transport).
• Producer-side incentives under the NGHM Green Ammonia Mode 2A were detailed — a 7.24 lakh MT/annum green-ammonia procurement target via a SECI e-reverse auction, with cash incentives from commercial supply and 10-year offtake certainty (binding GAPA/GASA agreements).
• The 150 TPD green urea pilot plant at Pudimadaka, Andhra Pradesh — developed by NTPC's R&D wing NETRA, integrating carbon capture (CCUS) with water electrolysis — served as a technical benchmark.

For Prelims

• Green urea/ammonia/hydrogen: 'Green hydrogen' is made by electrolysing water using renewable electricity; combined with nitrogen (Haber-Bosch) it gives green ammonia, the feedstock for green (carbon-neutral) urea — replacing natural gas ('grey') in fertiliser.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023): India's flagship, outlay ~₹19,744 crore, to make India a global hub for green hydrogen/derivatives (target ~5 MMT/year production by 2030).
• SECI: The Solar Energy Corporation of India (under MNRE) — here acting as the aggregator/offtaker, running e-reverse auctions and bridging the green-vs-grey ammonia price gap.
• Differential pricing: Because green ammonia costs more than grey, SECI absorbs the gap and supplies fertiliser units at grey-ammonia prices (linked to Platts/Argus indices) — shielding manufacturers and farmers.
• Urea & subsidy: Urea is India's most-used fertiliser, sold at a fixed MRP with a large government subsidy; green urea aims to cut the sector's carbon footprint and import dependence (gas).
• CCUS / NETRA: 'Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage' integrated with electrolysis at the Pudimadaka pilot; NETRA is NTPC's R&D arm.
• Don't confuse: Green urea (clean-hydrogen route) is distinct from Nano Urea (a concentrated liquid fertiliser by IFFCO); both aim to reform fertiliser use but differently.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.9 · GS3.14 · Linkage L2