GREEN HYDROGEN

India’s First Pure Green Hydrogen Pilot Plant Commissioned In Jorhat

    Oil India Limited (OIL), India’s second largest National Exploration & Production company, a Government of India enterprise, has taken the first significant step towards Green Hydrogen Economy in India with the commissioning of India’s First 99.999% pure Green Hydrogen pilot plant with an installed capacity of 10 kg per day at its Jorhat Pump Station in Assam. The plant was commissioned in a record time of 3 months.

     Green hydrogen, which has the potential to replace fossil fuels, is the name given to hydrogen gas produced using renewable energy such as wind or solar power that do not entail greenhouse gas emissions. The plant generates green hydrogen from the electricity produced by the existing 500 kW solar plant utilizing a 100 kW from Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) Electrolyser array, a technology used in India for the first time. Oil India plans to study use cases for commercial applications of blended fuel. It is also conducting a study in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, on the blending of clean hydrogen with natural gas and its effect on the existing infrastructure of OIL.

    OIL has initiated a detailed study with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati on blending green hydrogen with natural gas for commercial applications of the blended fuel. OIL officials said hydrogen gas, which does not emit carbon dioxide when burned, can be used as a fuel in transportation, power generation, and industrial activities.

    In a fuel cell that converts the energy of a chemical into electricity, hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapour, thus making it a potential clean alternative to fossil fuels. The company also plans to study use cases for commercial applications of the blended fuel. 

    The government proposed the National Hydrogen Mission in the Union Budget 2021-22, initiating a hydrogen roadmap for the country. The mission was announced in August last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Power announced a Green Hydrogen Policy to achieve the country’s production target of 5 million tons of green and clean hydrogen by the end of the decade. Under the policy, green hydrogen and green ammonia will be defined as the two gases produced by electrolysis of water using banked renewable energy and hydrogen and ammonia produced from biomass. The policy also intends to waive the interstate transmission charges for 25 years for the projects commissioned before June 30, 2025. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will set up a portal for all clearances and permissions required for the manufacturing, transportation, storage, and distribution of green hydrogen. In February this year, the Gas Authority of India invited bids from consultants to conduct a feasibility study to set up a green hydrogen project in Odisha. Last November, the Indian Oil Corporation issued an international tender inviting stakeholders to develop green hydrogen production facilities on a build, own, and operate (BOO) basis at IOCL’s refineries in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.   

    Hydrogen being the cleanest form of energy is the latest focus area across the globe to satiate the rising energy needs. India has been taking steps to generate clean energy from green hydrogen to reduce carbon emissions. In this changing climate-era, it is inevitable to shift towards such initiative to unburden earth. In addition to this, it is equally important to reduce our energy needs from fossil fuels by creating more opportunities for discovering other tools as such. However, Govt. is putting her efforts in figuring out options being less dependent on fossil fuel needs. The current global inflation is one of the affects due to spike in crude oil prices. To escape such complex predicament, it is high demand of the time to switch to alternative energy needs with climate friendly approach to make the environment for living being cleaner and healthier.