India and EU Start New Projects to Fight Marine Pollution and Make Green Hydrogen from Waste

New Delhi, May 16 – India and the European Union (EU) have started two new major projects to solve problems related to marine plastic waste and to produce green hydrogen from waste. These projects are part of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), which was formed in 2022 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and EU President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen ties in trade and technology.

The projects have a joint budget of ₹391 crore and are supported by both the Indian government and the EU’s Horizon Europe program. The focus areas are Marine Plastic Litter (MPL) and Waste to Green Hydrogen (W2GH).

Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Indian Government, said, “Joint research is the key to finding new solutions. These projects will help scientists from both India and Europe work together to solve environmental problems.”

EU Ambassador Herve Delphin said, “These projects show how strong the partnership between India and the EU is. We are working together on real issues like plastic pollution and clean energy.”

Marine pollution is still a big problem around the world. Dr. M. Ravichandran from the Ministry of Earth Sciences said that this joint project will help protect the ocean and its life.

The second project is about turning waste into green hydrogen, a clean fuel. Santosh Kumar Sarangi from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said this will help India move toward clean energy faster.