changeadminGreen hydrogen, a clean energy source compared to natural gas, is slowly entering multiple Indian kitchens, albeit in a hybrid format.
Adani Total Gas, a gas distribution company, formed by India’s Adani Group and French energy company TotalEnergies, initiated a pioneering ‘Green Hydrogen Blending Pilot Project’.
The project will blend green hydrogen with natural gas for over 4,000 residential and commercial customers in Ahmedabad, India’s western state of Gujarat.
Initially, the blending is kept at 2.2-2.3 percent of green hydrogen (GH2), which they plan to increase to 5 percent and ultimately to 8 percent, the limit currently approved by India’s regulator, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
A higher blending of green hydrogen can cause damage or corrosion to pipelines and equipment. In this pilot, the company will involve regulatory authorities to share its knowledge of the operational aspects and the compatibility of hydrogen blending in city gas distribution in India.
Hydrogen blending is less carbon-intensive than burning gas but has the same heating capabilities and this is not the first time it has been supplied in Indian homes.
In 2022, India’s state-owned gas utility company GAIL initiated a small pilot in Indore, in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, to supply compressed natural gas blended with grey hydrogen. However, grey hydrogen is not a clean fuel as it produces large quantities of Carbon dioxide.
In 2023, another state-run power generation company, NTPC started India’s first green hydrogen blending operation in the piped natural gas network.
This project was set up to supply natural gas to households in Surat, Gujarat, and is currently operating with 8 percent green hydrogen blending, the highest achieved in India.
Wrapping Up
Green Hydrogen has emerged as a clean energy source as it is produced using electrolysis of water (H2O) with electricity generated by renewable energy, such as wind or solar.
In 2022, the Indian government launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission to make the country a leading producer and supplier of Green Hydrogen worldwide.
The green hydrogen push will also provide energy security and push its decarbonization efforts.
Apart from blending in natural gas, the greatest demand for green hydrogen is expected from the manufacturing and transport sector, where it can replace conventional fossil fuels.
While blending green hydrogen with natural gas is already underway in the UK, Germany, and Australia, with India plunging into this, it is a great push to global net-zero commitments and climate action.
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