SJVN launches India’s first dual-purpose green hydrogen pilot project

State-owned hydro-electric power company SJVN Ltd on Thursday launched a green hydrogen pilot project for combined generation of heat and power at its 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) in Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh. 

The first multi-purpose green hydrogen pilot project in India, it will produce 14 kg of green hydrogen on an 8-hour basis every day. Hydrogen so produced will be stored in six storage tanks with a combined capacity of 12 m3.

The state-of-the-art green hydrogen pilot project will produce hydrogen using alkaline electrolyser of 20 Nm3/hour capacity, which would be powered by renewable energy supplied from 1.31 MW Solar Power Plant of SJVN in Wadhal, Shimla.

The green hydrogen produced from the pilot plant will be used for high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) coating facility of NJHPS for meeting its combustion fuel requirements. In addition, it will generate electricity through its fuel cell of 25 kW capacity.

SJVN also started centralised operations of 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station and 412 MW Rampur hydro power station.

SJVN’s green hydrogen pilot project, which is aligned with the government’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, is expected to  accelerate green hydrogen production and utilization in the power sector, leading to the establishment of a green hydrogen ecosystem in the country, SJVN chairperson Geeta Kapur stated while launching the centralised operations of the two hydro-power projects.