May 29, 2026
World Hydrogen Summit 2026: Indian delegation establishes Indo-German hydrogen partnerships
As part of the H2Uppp programme - an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy implemented by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) - a delegation trip was organized with representatives of Indian authorities and companies. The initiative develops markets for green hydrogen and PtX applications through structured public-private partnerships (PPP). The destination of the trip was the World Hydrogen Summit 2026 in Rotterdam, where over 400 providers of hydrogen solutions presented themselves. Jakob Baumgarten supported the GIZ India team in coordinating and moderating the entire delegation program.
The delegation trip started with four visits to four sites in the Duisburg region: the steel mill Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, the electrolysis company Thyssenkrupp Nucera with its pioneering Carbon2Chem project to convert steel mill emissions into chemicals, Siemens Energy with its hydrogen solutions and duisport - the world's largest inland port, which is developing into an important hub for sustainable hydrogen logistics. These excursions gave the Indian guests a direct impression of how the European hydrogen industry is already working.
A key part of the trip was a stay of several days at the World Hydrogen Summit 2026 in Rotterdam. The delegates explored exhibition stands of leading companies and innovative newcomers in the field of hydrogen economy: they learned about storage and import of green molecules at Vopak, visited Siemens Energy with their integrated solution offering, discussed gigawatt electrolysis technologies with thyssenkrupp nucera and participated in talks with Bosch, SMA Altenso GmbH, Linde and CellCentric. One highlight was the discovery of innovative storage technology from AKROS Energy, which works with non-toxic salt solution concepts. In addition, the delegates actively participated in the 3rd EU-India Green Hydrogen Business Forum. A final tour of the Port of Rotterdam revealed the logistical infrastructure for Europe's hydrogen imports. Particularly impressive was the 200 MW ELYgator electrolyzer currently under construction - a project that will establish Rotterdam as a European hub for green hydrogen derivatives.
The context of these activities: India's substantial increase in solar capacity from 5 GW (2015) to over 154 GW (2026) provides the energy foundation for ambitious hydrogen targets. The target of 5 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030 opens up concrete market opportunities in the PtX sector for German technology providers - from electrolyser manufacturers to system integrators. Jakob Baumgarten was able to play a role here, facilitating German-Indian technology partnerships by selecting companies in a targeted manner. The trip demonstrated the potential of closer German-Indian cooperation in the hydrogen industry and created an important basis for future trade relations that can contribute to the accelerated expansion of a globally networked hydrogen market.