IOCL to set up hydrogen manufacturing facilities in three states

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is holding discussions with state transport departments of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to install hydrogen production units and refuelling stations.

The firm aims to transform at least 10% of its hydrogen usage at refineries to green hydrogen shortly.

On Wednesday, the Director of research and development at the country's biggest state-run refiner IOC, S S V Ramakumar, told the media that the UP unit would be close to the Mathura refinery while the one in Gujarat would be near the Baroda refinery. The aim is to operate 10-20 buses in both the states in the initial stage. Additionally, he said that in Kerala, the target is to develop a stand-alone green hydrogen-producing facility from the solar power plant at Cochin International Airport.

Kochi is the first entirely solar-powered airport in the world, having a total capacity of 40 mw-peak, supporting it to manufacture about 160,000 units of power a day, compared to its daily usage of approximately 130,000 units. The plan is to operate hydrogen buses from Cochin airport to Thiruvananthapuram.

He added that IOC aims to convert 10% of its hydrogen consumption at refineries to green sources soon.

As the first move towards this, 10 % of the consumption in the Mathura refinery will be transformed to green sources by 2024. The firm had declared in its annual general meeting conducted in August that it may shortly develop the country's first Green Hydrogen facility at Mathura Refinery. The plant is likely to have around 160,000 barrels of capacity per day.

It comes at a time when the nation is observing a proposal to make it obligatory for fertilizer plants, oil refineries and steel plants to utilise green hydrogen as part of its aim to lessen the dependence on fossil fuels. The government is planning to make it compulsory for these chosen areas to utilise green hydrogen to reach 0.15% of their total hydrogen needs by 2024. Green hydrogen is hydrogen generated utilising renewable energy via electrolysis. This process uses an electrical current to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water.

India had commissioned the National Hydrogen Mission on the country’s 75th Independence Day. At present, India's total production of hydrogen is developing from fossil fuels.

Ramakumar added that they anticipate the hydrogen generation to rise from 6 MMT now to about 12 MMT by 2030.

Many industry majors including Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, Adani Group and power sector-major NTPC have already declared their strategies to come out with hydrogen plans. Ambani had told the media that India is likely to be the leader in hydrogen technology by becoming the first nation to generate it below $1 per kg.

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