The Hydrogen Stream: GAIL opens 10 MW green hydrogen plant

GAIL (India) Ltd, India’s largest natural gas company, has set up a green hydrogen plant that can produce 4.3 tonnes of hydrogen per day through 10 MW PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyzer units.

May 30, 2024 Uma Gupta and Sergio Matalucci

Image: EERE - US Department of Energy, Hydrogen Program/Wikimedia Commons

GAIL (India) Ltd, India’s largest natural gas company, has installed its first green hydrogen plant at its Vijaipur facility in Madhya Pradesh, marking its foray into new and alternate energy and in line with the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

This green hydrogen plant can produce 4.3 tonnes of hydrogen per day through 10 MW PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolyzer units. Green hydrogen is produced through water electrolysis powered by electricity from renewable source.

The plant can produce hydrogen at a high purity level of 99.999% (by vol.) and at a pressure of 30 kg/cm2.

GAIL stated that initially, the hydrogen produced from this unit shall be used as a fuel along with natural gas for captive purpose in the various processes and equipment running in the existing plant at Vijaipur. Further, this hydrogen is planned to be dispensed to retail customers in the nearby geographies, transported through high pressure cascades.

Besides sourcing renewable power through open access, GAIL is also setting up around 20 MW solar power plants at Vijaipur (both ground mounted and floating) to meet the requirement of green power for the 10 MW PEM electrolyzer.

SFOC said in a new report that South Korea’s Boryeong Blue Hydrogen Project, led by Korea Midland Power Co. (Komipo) and SK E&S, will result in significant methane emissions. “This finding contradicts claims by the government and the energy industry that blue hydrogen is a climate solution,” said SFOC. The $4 billion initiative aims to produce 250,000 tons of blue hydrogen per year, primarily for power generation at three existing gas-fired power plants and one new facility. “While the plan aims to replace 30% of gas use at these facilities, the expected reduction in emissions is only 11%, according to the study,” said SFOC. “The new gas plant, with a planned co-firing rate of 50%, is expected to achieve only a 22% emissions reduction.” It claimed that the limited positive climate impact would mainly be due to the lower amount of energy that hydrogen can produce per volume of fuel compared to gas.

T.E. H2 and Verbund have agreed to study the implementation of the H2 Notos green hydrogen project in Tunisia for large-scale pipeline exports to Central Europe. T.E. H2, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and the Eren Group, said that the H2 Notos project aims to produce green hydrogen by electrolyzing desalinated seawater using renewable electricity from onshore solar and wind farms. Initially, the project plans to produce 200,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, with potential expansion to 1 million tons per year in southern Tunisia. H2 Notos could benefit from the SoutH2 Corridor, a dedicated pipeline linking North Africa to Italy, Austria and Germany, which is scheduled for commissioning around 2030.

PowerCell has signed an order for two 100 kW marine fuel-cell systems from O.S. Energy for the Transship II sustainable vessel project. “This order represents a significant expansion of PowerCell’s offerings into the segment of smaller commercial and leisure vessels, including both retrofits and new builds, and shows that the technology is ready for wider uptake,” said Sweden-based PowerCell.

Switch Maritime has secured a certificate of inspection (COI) from the US Coast Guard, allowing the Sea Change to begin zero-emission public ferry services. The vessel, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, can travel up to 300 nautical miles at speeds up to 15 knots. Switch Maritime said that Sea Change is the first hydrogen-fuel vessel in the United States to receive this approval.

Shell and H.D. Hyundai have revealed plans to jointly develop technologies for liquefied hydrogen carriers, according to South Korean media reports. H.D. Korea Shipbuilding will focus on large liquefied hydrogen tanks and cargo operating systems, while H.D. Hyundai Heavy Industries will develop hydrogen engines and design the carriers.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.