India’s expanding renewable energy capacity could soon help turn the country into an energy exporter. German ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann said that Germany could emerge as one of the buyers of Indian green hydrogen in the coming years. Speaking at the Indo-German Industries Dialogue organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Ackermann said renewable energy had emerged as one of the strongest pillars of India-Germany ties. He added that alongside clean energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and the proposed India-European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would play a key role in shaping the next phase of economic cooperation between the two countries.“I think India in a couple of years will be an energy exporter… I think Germany might be a country that is a client of this green hydrogen in the future,” Ackermann said.The ambassador also described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an “extremely forthcoming” and “extremely engaged” partner, adding, “We see the Prime Minister as a very strong friend of Germany.”Green hydrogen at the centre of clean energy partnershipThe Ambassador said that the two countries were already working together to deepen cooperation in hydrogen technologies, with discussions moving towards concrete projects.“I understand that our ministry now is working together with India on hydrogen in a very concrete way,” he said.Sharing his experience of visiting the Adani Group’s renewable energy project in Kutch, Gujarat, Ackermann said the scale of India’s renewable energy generation stood out during his visit.“They created there the incredible amount of electricity they can generate through this solar and wind field. They have very ambitious plans about green hydrogen,” he said.He also highlighted the memorandum of understanding between ThyssenKrupp and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to advance the localisation of alkaline water electrolyzer technology, saying the collaboration would strengthen green hydrogen projects.“It’s very, very important to combine electrolysis technology with strong local engineering and manufacturing to support implementation of green hydrogen projects,” he said.AI, digital manufacturing next focus areasBeyond renewable energy, Ackermann said AI, semiconductors, digital manufacturing and Industry 5.0 would be the next major areas of collaboration between India and Germany as both countries work to build new technology partnerships and industrial value chains.“We are in the midst of transforming production and creating entirely new value chains and new jobs,” he said.Referring to the AI Summit held in New Delhi earlier this year, he said India and Germany had agreed to deepen digital cooperation through a bilateral AI pact. The initiative seeks to combine India’s AI and software capabilities with Germany’s industrial strengths, while improving market access for startups and small and medium enterprises, diversifying supply chains and promoting responsible AI development.FTA could be a ‘game changer’Ackermann described the proposed India-EU FTA as “maybe the biggest game changer for German businesses in India”. He expressed hope that the agreement would be signed by the end of this year and implemented in the first half of next year.Responding to a question from ANI on the sidelines of the event, he said Germany remained optimistic about its trade relationship with India. He noted that Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe, with annual bilateral trade exceeding $50 billion, and said the FTA could further boost German business engagement and investment in India.On the proposed submarine deal, Ackermann said he was confident that the agreement would be finalised soon.“I am very hopeful and confident that it will be signed very soon, in the next month maybe,” he said.
