The Hydrogen Stream: Hyundai, IIT Madras partner to set up Hydrogen Innovation Valley in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with Hyundai Motor India Ltd and received its largest single grant till date of INR 100 crore (over $12 million) towards the establishment of a dedicated ‘Hydrogen Innovation Valley’ in Tamil Nadu. A memorandum of understanding for the initiative was exchanged between Unsoo Kim, managing director and chief executive officer, Hyundai Motor India, and V. Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras.

Sembcorp Industries has committed an investment of INR 36,238 crore (over $4.36 billion) to establish a green hydrogen plant in Thoothukudi.

Elcogen and Convion have wrapped up 2,000 hours of testing of a solid oxide electrolyzer equipped with Elcogen’s cell technology. The test campaign included steady-state operation and 1,000 rapid power cycles. The companies reported robust system performance, achieving an electrical efficiency exceeding 85%, to produce 39 kWh of electrical energy per kilogram of green hydrogen. In the context of electrolysis, this represents a reduction of 20% to 30% in electricity compared to competing PEM and alkaline technologies. The steam electrolyzer features Elcogen’s Solid Oxide cell and stack technology implemented in Convion’s steam electrolyzer system platform.

The Hydrogen Energy Association (HEA) has launched the United Kingdom’s first free-to-access Hydrogen Projects Map. The hydrogen trade association has brought together hydrogen projects across the value chain, mapping them for the first time. “The HEA has mapped more than 70 low-carbon hydrogen production projects that are in operation or advancing quickly towards final investment decisions,” said the HEA. “The first wave of large-scale electrolytic hydrogen projects will be in operation in 2025. Aberdeen H2 Hub (400MW), Cromarty Hydrogen Hub (300MW), Lowestoft hydrogen production facility (200MW) and Hybont (250MW) are some of these pioneering projects.”

Australia’s Northern Territory government has awarded “Major Project Status” to TE H2’s 1 GW Darwin H2 Hub. Major Project Status is a formal recognition of a project’s significance through its contribution to economic growth, decarbonization, employment, and renewable energy supply chains, which could lead to faster approvals “With our abundant solar resources and our strategic location to support exports into the Indo-Pacific, the production of green hydrogen is a key opportunity for the Territory to address the growing demand for this green energy globally,” said Chief Minister Eva Lawler in a press release. TE H2 is a joint venture formed by TotalEnergies and EREN.

Equinor and RWE have agreed to jointly develop a large-scale energy value chain. They aim to replace coal-fired power plants in Germany with hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants and to build a production of low-carbon, renewable hydrogen in Norway that will be exported via a pipeline to Germany. The Norwegian company said that it plans to capture and permanently store more than 95% of the CO2 beneath the seabed off Norway.

Woodside and South Korea’s SK E&S have agreed to enable studies on the potential development of a lower-carbon hydrogen value chain, including hydrogen and ammonia. “[We] plan to jointly explore opportunities relating to long-term ammonia and hydrogen offtake arrangements, equity participation in ammonia and hydrogen production projects, and project engineering supply opportunities,” said Woodside.