Green Hydrogen

In a keynote address at Intersolar Europe 2022, Indian Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba asked global investors to seize the opportunity to focus on India as it targets net-zero emissions by 2070 and 500 GW of installed non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.

GAIL, India’s largest state-owned natural gas company, has awarded a contract to an undisclosed company to install and commission a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis unit in Madhya Pradesh. The system will be powered by 10 MW of renewables, to produce around 4.3 metric tons of hydrogen per day.

India-based Hygenco has set up a green hydrogen generation plant on a build-own-operate basis in Madhya Pradesh. The alkaline electrolysis-based plant is co-located with a solar PV project in the state’s Ujjain district. 

Norwegian renewable energy developer Statkraft has partnered Norway’s green investment company Aker Horizons to explore fully-integrated renewable power generation and green hydrogen production in India, targeting local steel and fertilizer industries.

A new report from IEEFA says green ammonia could help India significantly reduce its trillion-rupee fertilizer subsidy bill and cut dependence on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports for fertilizer production. The report looks at leading green hydrogen to green ammonia projects worldwide and reviews the cost competitiveness of producing green ammonia using various electricity inputs – grid electricity, round-the-clock renewable power, and solar power plus batteries. It also looks at the policy interventions required for green hydrogen and ammonia projects.  

Japan’s Panasonic claims its new pilot solar-plus-hydrogen facility marks the first attempt to create a factory powered by 100% renewables, via the full-scale use of hydrogen.

To decarbonize the cooking sector, India’s premier energy utility NTPC has partnered city gas distribution company Gujarat Gas Limited on a pilot project to supply green hydrogen-blended piped natural gas. 

IndianOil, Larsen & Toubro, and ReNew will hold an equal stake in their proposed joint venture to develop, execute and own green hydrogen assets in India. Additionally, IndianOil and Larsen & Toubro will form a JV for the production and sale of electrolyzers.

The ‘Net-Zero Industry Accelerator’ program will prioritize industries with the highest carbon footprints and assure a robust ecosystem to support a new generation of entrepreneurs as they take disruptive climate-tech innovations for industrial decarbonization from the lab to market. 

Green hydrogen cost in India could reduce by 20-30% to INR 230-240/kg with the measures announced under the National Hydrogen Policy. A further cost reduction to achieve parity with grey hydrogen by 2030 is possible, provided policymakers don’t overlook five critical areas.