- NTPC and GGL have brought online India’s maiden green hydrogen blending project
- Solar powered green hydrogen is now being blended with PNG network of GGL
- Supply will be dedicated for Kawas township households in Surat, Gujarat
Indian power generator NTPC Limited has commissioned the country’s 1st green hydrogen blending project in the NTPC Kawas Township of Surat where it is being blended with the piped natural gas (PNG) network of Gujarat Gas Limited (GGL), and is powered by electricity from 1 MW floating solar power project of NTPC.
The floating solar power plant is part of 56 MW Kawas Solar PV Project of NTPC located within NTPC Kawas Gas based power station that’s comprised of 33 MW ground mounted and 23 MW floating solar capacity (see India: Green Hydrogen Blending With PNG).
Construction of the project began on July 30, 2022. Green hydrogen plended with natural gas (H2-NG) will be supplied to the households of Kawas township at Adityanagar in Surat. The project partners have clearance from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) for 5% vol./vol. blending of H2 with NG to start with. Later the blending level will be increased to reach 20%.
According to the Government of India, “This feat is achieved only by few select countries like UK, Germany, and Australia etc. This would bring India at the centre stage of the global hydrogen economy. India would not only reduce its hydrocarbon import bill significantly but can also bring forex ashore by being a green hydrogen and green chemicals exporter to the world.”
Green hydrogen is produced through the process of electrolysis of water that’s powered by a renewable energy source as solar energy. When it is blended with natural gas, it reduces carbon emissions while keeping net heating content at the same level, the government highlights. However, Dominic Eagleton, senior campaigner at human rights group Global Witness, was quoted in a Recharge article analyzing discussions in the European Union on blending, “Blending hydrogen only serves to greenwash the gas industry. It would push up costs for households, do little to reduce emissions, lock-in existing gas infrastructure and delay the urgently needed phaseout of fossil gas.”
The project commissioning coincides with the government clearing the country’s National Green Hydrogen Mission worth INR 175 billion (see India’s INR 175 Billion National Green Hydrogen Mission).
