MUMBAI: The clean energy unit of NTPC Ltd, India’s largest thermal power producer, is developing a green hydrogen hub at an estimated cost of 1.8 trillion rupees (US$21bil) as the country seeks to add more carbon-free fuel to meet its needs.
NTPC Green Energy Ltd is developing the project at Pudimadaka. This is the first such project under India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, a government statement said Monday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the project today. Green hydrogen is produced by using renewable energy to split hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water.
India aims to lift green hydrogen production to five million tonnes a year by 2030 from almost zero currently under a strategy to decarbonise heavy industries – including refineries and steel mills – and to become a major supplier of the fuel to global markets.
The goal is being championed by state energy giants, such as NTPC as well as billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani. The investment will include 20GW of renewable energy capacity to produce 1,500 tonnes per day of green hydrogen.
The site will produce 7,500 tonnes per day of derivatives including green methanol, green urea and sustainable aviation fuel, primarily targeting the export market, the government said in the statement. — Bloomberg
