- Reliance has decided to harness blue Hydrogen from petroleum coke
- It is a temporary arrangement as, by the end of this decade, blue Hydrogen will be replaced by cleaner Green Hydrogen
- Big corporates are taking charge of ensuring that India does not depend on any country for its energy needs in future
Stakeholders all around the world are currently stuck in a unique quagmire. They want to eliminate fossil fuels, but they do not have cheaper alternatives. With plans to instil blue hydrogen synthesis, India has come up with a specific solution
Reliance’s push towards Blue Hydrogen
Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries is all set to become one of the prominent sellers of Hydrogen fuels. They will do it by bringing down the cost of Hydrogen fuels. The company has decided to re-purpose a synthesis gas plant for the production of blue Hydrogen.
According to a presentation by Reliance, the $4-billion plant currently converts petroleum coke into syngas. The presentation unveiled a plan to produce blue Hydrogen (instead of Syngas) from petroleum coke. According to estimates, the blue hydrogen produced in the process will cost anything between $1.2-$1.5 per kilogram in international markets.
Stop-gap arrangement
Blue Hydrogen is simply a fossil fuel without carbon dioxide. When natural gas is split into hydrogen and CO2, it is blue hydrogen. The CO2 is captured and then stored. Though it is not the greenest form of Hydrogen fuel, its low cost of production is believed to be a stop-gap arrangement until the cost of producing cleaner hydrogen comes down.
A statement by Reliance read, “In the interim, till the cost of green hydrogen comes down, RIL can be the first mover to establish a hydrogen ecosystem, with minimal incremental investment, in India,” Detailing future up-gradation of blue Hydrogen to Green Hydrogen, it added, “Subsequently, as hydrogen from syngas is replaced by green hydrogen, the entire syngas will be converted to chemicals.”
Reliance to be carbon-neutral by 2035, 35 years before India’s goal
Green Hydrogen is the cleanest form of Hydrogen. It is formed by breaking water using electrolysis powered by renewable energy. However, currently, it costs around $3-6.55 per kg, which makes it unaffordable for the majority of the population. Reliance group aims to produce Green Hydrogen at $1 per kg by 2030.
The latest move is a part of Reliance group to become a carbon-neutral company by 2035. In January 2022, Reliance had announced its foray into Green energy with an investment of $79 billion to set up green energy projects, including a 100-gigawatt renewable energy power plant.
To fulfil India’s aim of becoming a carbon-neutral country by 2070, the Modi government is investing heavily in greener sources of energy. In November 2021, the Government announced that it will provide incentives worth Rs 24,000 crores to solar manufacturing. Similarly, 20 auto firms have been approved to garner benefits worth Rs 25,938 crores from PLI schemes for Electric vehicles.
Hydrogen fuels are best
Hydrogen fuel is another big part of India’s future plans in E-mobility; something which not many countries are focussing on. See, the problem with Electric vehicles as a replacement for fossil fuels is that creating charging infrastructure will shift countries’ dependence from oil-producing nations to Lithium producing nations. Lithium is the most important metal required for Li-ion batteries used in Electric Vehicles.
Read more: Hydrogen fuel cars are the future and not electric cars
Hydrogen fuels on the other hand can be harnessed on a universal level. They are also in consonance with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaigns. During his Independence Day speech, PM Modi announced that India will become the biggest exporter of green hydrogen in the years to come.
He also launched the National Hydrogen Mission to encourage the green hydrogen industry in the country. PM Modi also made his intention to drift away from energy cartels clear in his UN General Assembly speech in September last year.
Nitin Gadkari leads the charge
In December 2021, TFI reported that Nitin Gadkari, India’s Minister for Road Transport & Highways is spearheading India’s efforts towards Hydrogen fuels.
Read more: Nitin Gadkari has taken it upon himself to launch Hydrogen-powered vehicles defying EV backers
As reported by the TFI, recently, State gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd commenced India’s unique project of mixing hydrogen into the natural gas system at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Under the project, the hydrogen blended natural gas reportedly will be supplied for retailing CNG to automobiles and piped natural gas to households in Indore.
Read more: Forget EVs, India now has its first Hydrogen filling station!
Not just Reliance, other giants like Adani group and TATA group are also making heavy contributions towards India’s shifting energy paradigms. This is a prime example of how governments and corporates can change the landscape of any country through cooperation.