NLC India has called for bids to set up a 4 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser-based green hydrogen project in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu. Bids must be submitted by March 24, 2025, and will be opened on the same day. A bid guarantee of Rs 8.65 million is required. 

The selected bidder will oversee the project’s entire lifecycle, including design, engineering, manufacturing, inspection, testing, supply, logistics, construction, erection, commissioning, trial operations, and performance guarantee testing. The project must be completed within 18 months from the letter of award, followed by a 12-month free operation and maintenance (O&M) period and a 48-month paid O&M period. 

The project scope includes a fully containerised 4 MW PEM electrolyser system capable of producing at least 72 kg of hydrogen per hour. It also involves installing a hydrogen compression system with two compressors, each handling 36 kg per hour, to compress hydrogen from 25 bar (electrolyser output) to 200 bar and 500 bar. The hydrogen storage system must have a capacity of 200 kg at 500 bar. The bidder will also be responsible for obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals. 

To qualify, bidders must either be manufacturers or channel partners of manufacturers of PEM electrolysers or PEM stack-based hydrogen systems, with at least one supplied system of 300 kW capacity that has been operational for at least six months. Alternatively, bidders with experience in industrial projects in sectors like oil & gas, chemicals, power, renewables, petrochemicals, hydrocarbons, fertilisers, or hydrogen generation over the last seven years can qualify if they’ve completed one project worth Rs 700 million, two projects worth Rs 430 million each, or three projects worth Rs 350 million each. These projects must have been operational for at least one year. 

Such bidders must also enter into a joint undertaking with a PEM manufacturer or its channel partner meeting the technical criteria. Additionally, bidders must have an average annual turnover of Rs 260 million over the past three financial years and a positive net worth based on their latest audited financial statement. 

This project aligns with India’s broader green hydrogen push. Last year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy launched an implementation framework to incentivise the annual production of 200,000 metric tons of green hydrogen and set guidelines to support up to 450,000 metric tons per annum under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition program. 

(Mercom)