addiction industries: from IOC to Reliance: the hydrogen push in India is gaining ground

From companies run by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani to state-owned oil refiner IndianOil and power producer NTPC, Indian companies have announced ambitious plans to adopt hydrogen as a fuel as the country shifts to a carbon-free fuel .

Hydrogen is the latest buzz to meet the world’s energy needs. Being the cleanest form of energy, it can be produced from various resources, such as

gas, biomass and renewable energies such as solar and wind power. It can be used in cars, homes, portable power, and many other applications.

Without a doubt, it is gaining ground in India as elsewhere in the world.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a national hydrogen mission on Sunday.

“Green hydrogen is the future of the world. Today, I am announcing the establishment of the National Hydrogen Mission with the aim of becoming the new global hub for green hydrogen, and also its most major exporter, “he said in his Independence Day speech.

The mission was first announced in this year’s Union budget in February and companies have since lined up to announce plans. But neither this announcement nor Modi’s speech on Sunday set production or capacity targets.

Besides the transport sector, hydrogen can find its use in a range of sectors such as chemicals, steel, heating and electricity.

Ambani, president of

Ltd, recently announced plans for hydrogen as part of the world’s largest private refiner to become a net zero carbon company by 2035.

“Although Reliance will remain a user of crude oil and natural gas, we are committed to adopting new technologies to convert our CO into useful products and chemicals,” he told shareholders on June 24.

“Reliance also has proprietary technology to convert transportation fuels into valuable petrochemical and hardware building blocks. And at the same time, we will replace transport fuels with clean electricity and hydrogen, ”Ambani said.

In March, Adani Group announced a partnership with Maire Tecnimont to develop green hydrogen projects in India.

(IOC), which controls about a third of India’s 250 million tonnes of oil refining capacity, plans to build a green hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery in Uttar Pradesh.

“IndianOil has a wind power project in Rajasthan. We intend to bring this energy to our refinery in Mathura to produce absolutely green hydrogen by electrolysis,” said Shrikant, IOC president.

Vaidya said last month.

Green hydrogen, from the electrolysis of water using renewable energies such as solar or wind, will replace carbon emitting fuels used in the refinery to turn crude oil into value-added products, such as gasoline and diesel.

NTPC, the country’s largest electricity producer, also announced plans to install India’s first green hydrogen refueling station in Leh, Ladakh.

NTPC is looking to set up a pilot project to blend hydrogen with national gas for use in town gas distribution.

In a tweet, ACME Group said it “has taken the first step to set up the first green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Rajasthan”.

“Clean electricity is the future! India ranks 5th in the world for installed solar capacity. Renewable sources contribute 1/4 of the capacity here, ”he said.

Hydrogen is produced primarily by steam methane reforming, or SMR, which uses fossil fuels, such as natural gas or coal, and by proton exchange membrane electrolysis, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electric current.

Currently, all of the hydrogen consumed in India comes from fossil fuels. By 2050, three quarters of hydrogen is expected to be green – produced by renewable electricity and electrolysis.

IOC is also working on a technology to develop hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas, or H-CNG. This H-CNG will be used to operate buses.

However, hydrogen production is currently expensive compared to alternatives. Supply and distribution are also a challenge.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who as minister of oil and natural gas had taken initiatives to push for the construction of hydrogen infrastructure, said on Sunday that he welcomed the announcement of a national hydrogen mission.

“With a clear roadmap for the energy transition involving a gas-based economy, a network of CNG and PNG across the country, a 20% ethanol blend will help achieve the goal of becoming energy independent when the ‘India will be 100 years old,’ Pradhan, who is now the HRD Minister, tweeted.

The current Minister of Petroleum, Hardeep Singh Puri, said: “On this historic occasion, Prime Minister Modi Ji announced the National Hydrogen Mission which aims to make India a hub of production and the export of green hydrogen and create green jobs. He shared his vision with making India independent from energy before completing 100 years of independence. ”

At present, petroleum refineries are the largest producer of hydrogen, which is used in various crude oil refining processes.

The government plans to force refineries and fertilizer factories to use green hydrogen.

Hydrogen is also helping India meet its climate commitment.

Over the past six years, India has increased its renewable energy portfolio from 32 gigawatts to almost 100 GW and is on track to meet the target of 450 GW of renewable power generation capacity by 2030.