Abstract
The transition of energy from fossil fuel-based systems to low-carbon global energy systems has enhanced the need for strategic bilateral partnerships. It mixes technological capability with resource security and addresses the challenge of decarbonising economies. In this changing scenario, the India-South Korea partnership has become an important centre of cooperation, especially in the areas of green hydrogen, renewable energy, and critical mineral supply chains. India’s growing renewable energy base, huge domestic market, and cost benefits go well with South Korea’s technological know-how, financial power, and industrial abilities. This article looks closely at India-South Korea joint efforts in clean energy, focusing on hydrogen cooperation, renewable energy scaling, critical mineral security, industrial decarbonisation, and the new areas that include energy finance and innovation ecosystems. Besides, the article discusses the political and economic consequences of this partnership under the Indo-Pacific framework, especially in terms of supply chain resilience, strategic autonomy, and energy diplomacy. Finally, it points out major structural and policy issues such as regulatory hurdles, the patronage of high technological costs, and escalating global rivalry for resources and proposes measures to enhance collaboration.
Keywords: India–South Korea relations, clean energy transition, green hydrogen, critical minerals, energy security, Indo-Pacific, industrial decarbonisation
Introduction
The shift to sustainable energy systems is one of the key developments influencing the current world order. Climate change, energy insecurity, and rapidly evolving technologies have jointly led to a realignment of countries’ priorities at the national and international levels. When countries are aiming at decarbonising their economies and simultaneously continuing growth, the role of strategic partnerships becomes stronger.
On the one hand, India and South Korea are different in terms of their development paths. On the other hand, they both perceive these challenges in a similar way. India, as a rapidly growing economy, must balance the increased energy demand with its climate commitments. India’s long-term target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 implies not only a significant expansion of renewable energy but also availability of technology, capital, and stable supply chains (Government of India, 2023). South Korea is a highly developed technological society, but it is a resource-scarce country. Its large dependence on energy and raw material imports has driven South Korea to focus on innovation, diversification, and cooperation at the international level (IEA, 2025).
This relationship is exactly the kind of complementarity that can sustain a long-lasting partnership. India-South Korea cooperation in clean energy has become a significant part of bilateral ties, indicating both economic benefits and strategic choices. Such a cooperation also holds an immense significance in global energy governance, especially for the Indo-Pacific region.
India and South Korea, traditionally considered middle powers, are playing a greater role in the setting of rules and cooperation frameworks. Their participation in clean energy is therefore a reflection of their economic pragmatism as well as a deliberate move to help shape the new global sustainability frameworks.
Strategic Convergence in Energy and Climate Objectives
India's and South Korea’s energy policies complement each other to a great extent, which comes from common needs for economic growth, energy security, and sustainability. India’s interest is increasing in the use of renewable energy, promoting green energy manufacturing and developing the green hydrogen sector. Besides its reliance on solar and wind energy, India is stepping up its focus on the electrical grid, electric cars and storage solutions to reduce dependency on fossil fuels (Government of India, 2023).
South Korea is eager to lead in the development of new technologies and conduct a radical overhaul of industries. This is in line with its plans for the Hydrogen Economy Roadmap and the related carbon neutrality objectives (Government of Korea, 2024). As part of this, the country is working on its fuel cells and hydrogen infrastructure, but at the same time, it wants to find external sources of clean energy.
In this context, India-South Korea collaboration can be strategically important. While India has the ability and the natural resources, South Korea, on the other hand, has the technological expertise and the financial strength. Besides, the two countries are equally wary of the possibility of supply chains being dominated by a few countries as well as the geopolitical risks that come with this, especially when it comes to critical minerals and advanced technologies (IEA, 2023). This shared vision has reinforced the rationale for deeper cooperation.
Policy dialogues and institutional mechanisms between India and South Korea have quite often been integrating sustainability issues into overall economic development plans. This change towards climate and energy cooperation is an important part of the international relations framework and an indication of transformation from a mere transactional engagement to a long-term strategic alignment of two countries.
Green Hydrogen and Ammonia: Building Long-Term Energy Interdependence
Green hydrogen is one of the most potential areas of collaboration between India and South Korea. Hydrogen, as a clean energy carrier, can help to decarbonise the industries that are very difficult to electrify, such as aviation, shipping, heavy industry, etc.
India’s comparative advantage in green hydrogen lies in its low production cost due to its huge renewable energy resources. By increasing the production of green hydrogen, India intends to become a major exporter of hydrogen and its derivatives, e.g., green ammonia. South Korea is planning to import hydrogen by building the necessary import infrastructure as well as downstream applications such as fuel cells and industrial usage (IEA, 2025) since it does not have enough domestic energy resources.
Besides, creating hydrogen value chains involves India and South Korea jointly leading to the development of comprehensive hydrogen ecosystems by investing in hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and use. This can leverage economies of scale as well as technological innovations at national levels.
Such alignment can help hydrogen technology and standardise regulatory norms globally in the future, allowing more seamless international trade. This will make both nations major players in the global hydrogen market.
Renewable Energy, Storage, and Digital Energy Systems
Hydrogen is a solution for the longer term; however, renewables still form the bedrock of the clean energy transition. India has considerably ramped up its solar and wind power capacities, thus entering the top renewable energy markets globally. Nevertheless, connecting renewables to the grid involves overcoming the issues of intermittency and attaining stability.
South Korea’s expertise in energy storage and digital technologies is effectively addressing these issues. Sophisticated battery systems and smart grids, as well as energy management tools, can improve the sustainability and efficiency of the renewable energy supply (Economic Times Energy, 2025).
Collaboration in these areas can take various forms such as joint ventures, technology transfer, and research partnerships. For example, South Korean companies can financially assist India’s energy storage sector, whereas Indian companies can supply scale and cost benefits. Similarly, partnership in smart grid technology will be helpful for energy conservation and lowering transmission losses.
Digitalisation is gradually becoming a major source of sustainability and innovation in energy systems. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things can be used to channel energy consumption and boost system performance.
The collaboration is progressively concentrated on urban energy systems, aligning with India’s Smart Cities Mission and South Korea’s decentralised energy and smart grid technologies. This partnership is aimed at making urban life more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Critical Minerals and the Geopolitics of Energy Transition
Energy transition largely relies on the availability of critical minerals, which are crucial for manufacturing clean energy technologies. However, the global distribution of these minerals is concentrated, resulting in geopolitical vulnerabilities. India and South Korea depend on imports of critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, which makes them susceptible to supply disruptions and price volatility, especially during geopolitical tensions (IEA, 2023).
In order to deal with these issues, both countries are emphasising diversifying their supply chains. To achieve that, they are not only investing in mining projects in third countries but also working towards domestic processing capabilities and encouraging recycling and a circular economy (Ministry of External Affairs, 2024).
In this regard, the concept of “friend-shoring” has been widely promoted, focusing on the partnership of trusted allies to secure critical resources. Through India-South Korea collaboration in this field, it is possible to upgrade supply chain resilience and lessen the dependency on dominant suppliers.
Also, collaboration in mineral processing and value addition can enable both countries to move up the value chain and decrease dependency on external processing hubs. It would strengthen economic resilience and also generate new industrial possibilities at a national level.
Industrial Decarbonisation and Technology Transfer
Industrial decarbonisation is one of the most difficult phases of the energy transition because it targets energy-intensive sectors such as steel, cement, and chemicals. Addressing this issue requires new technology and its implementation on a large scale.
South Korea has been at the frontline of developing industrial emissions reduction technologies, such as hydrogen-powered steel production and energy-efficient manufacturing processes (YNA, 2025). These developments can significantly lower the heavy industrial carbon emissions.
On the other hand, India’s growing industrial sector represents a perfect setting for the implementation and expansion of such technologies. Bilateral cooperation may support technology transfer, joint research, and human resources development, thereby aiding India’s industrial sector in going low-carbon. By embracing cleaner technologies, companies can tap into new markets and comply with changing environmental regulations.
Moreover, jointly initiated pilot projects and demo plants by Indian and South Korean companies can be the key to speeding up the commercialisation of these technologies. Such initiatives would settle doubts and attract investments and lead to the development of scalable models for industrial diffusion in other developing economies.
Energy Finance, Innovation, and Private Sector Role
The role of financial and innovation ecosystems in the India-South Korea relationship has been rarely highlighted. Transitioning to a clean energy economy requires a lot of capital, and raising funds is a key component of achieving this transition.
Financial entities and business organisations in South Korea have a great chance to invest in India’s clean energy sector. The fast-growing startup scene in India holds potential for innovation in digital energy systems, energy storage and hydrogen technologies.
Facilitating partnerships between startups, academic and research institutions, and private companies can promote tech development and lead to product launches. These will lower prices and boost the large-scale adaptability of clean energy solutions at a lower cost.
Green financial products such as green bonds and blended finance methods can effectively boost bilateral collaboration. Integrating financial systems and regulatory norms will ease capital movements and reduce the investment risks associated with large-scale clean energy infrastructure projects.
Geopolitical and Indo-Pacific Implications
The India-South Korea clean energy partnership possesses significant geopolitical implications, especially in the Indo-Pacific area. Since both countries are looking forward to gaining self-sufficiency in single-source supply chains, their partnership is an initiative towards a more balanced and resilient regional order.
The two countries may take a lead in shaping global energy governance by encouraging transparency, sustainability, and cooperation. In addition, this kind of collaboration is suitable for economic development and technological cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, it reveals the increasing role of energy diplomacy as a foreign policy instrument.
This can be perceived as an example of middle-power cooperation. It depicts how countries can cooperate without the involvement of major powers. They strengthen their strategic autonomy and simultaneously support the multilateral methods of climate and energy governance.
Challenges and Structural Constraints
Structural hurdles obstruct deeper ties between countries. Trade restrictions, inconsistent standards, and tangled logistics slow down the movement of goods and services. Green hydrogen remains expensive to roll out, stalling innovation in clean energy sectors.
Supply chains are confronted with volatility as a result of increasing demand for key minerals. Policy aspirations often do not adequately consider realities, especially in the case of building large infrastructures. Slow approvals and fragmented regulations make investment decisions more difficult and render cooperation, even for the long term, more vulnerable.
Way Forward
Policy synchronisation and stronger institutional ties are essential to carry forward the bilateral cooperation. Coordination across ministries and inclusion of private groups can help keep momentum going over time.
Bilateral teams focusing on hydrogen rules, key minerals, and digital energy might offer clearer direction. Joint efforts in research and physical upgrades can encourage growth in new industries.
Strategic intent reaches the field more effectively with consistent dialogue exchanges that keep plans focused and help translate vision into action on the ground.
Conclusion
The India-South Korea clean energy partnership is a strategic move towards the challenges of energy transition and climate change. By complimenting each other’s strengths, the two nations can create resilient and eco-friendly energy systems.
In the dynamic global energy scenario, such a collaboration will become instrumental in determining the direction of climate action and economic growth. Hence, the India-South Korea collaboration can be considered a benchmark for successful international cooperation in the quest for sustainability and resilience.
The partnership’s achievements will, in the end, hinge on its capability to turn plans into actual results. If India and South Korea manage to execute it properly, not only will it reshape their bilateral connections, but it can also make a substantial input to worldwide endeavours for a low-carbon and sustainable future.
Acknowledgements
This article is part of the author’s ongoing postdoctoral research funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, undertaken at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
References:
Economic Times Energy. (2025). India–South Korea Clean Energy Cooperation.
Government of India. (2023). National Green Hydrogen Mission.
Government of Korea. (2024). Hydrogen Economy Roadmap.
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2023). Critical Minerals Market Review.
International Energy Agency (IEA). (2025). Energy Policy Review: Korea.
Ministry of External Affairs. (2024). India–ROK Relations Brief.
Reuters. (2026). Green Ammonia Agreement.
Yonhap News Agency (YNA). (2025). Industrial Decarbonisation Technologies.
