<article><p class="lead">Indian state-controlled city gas distributor Indraprastha Gas (IGL) has signed an initial agreement with Indian renewables firm Acme to develop domestic green hydrogen infrastructure.</p><p>The companies will work together to explore opportunities for setting up hydrogen generation plants, including electrolysers to blend green hydrogen in IGL's existing pipeline networks supplying gas to households and industrial and commercial set-ups, as well as compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles, IGL said on 4 May. IGL operates a 18,811km pipeline network across Delhi's national capital region. </p><p>The companies will also co-operate in policy matters and promote adoption of green hydrogen and green ammonia to customers. </p><p>IGL is also looking at opportunities for green hydrogen use in the automobile sector and production of green ammonia from green hydrogen, said managing director Sanjay Kumar. </p><p>Blending green hydrogen into city gas-distribution networks is a key component under the first phase of India's <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2409334">National Green Hydrogen Mission</a>, which runs until 2026. </p><p>The scaling up of green hydrogen production and use should drive down costs, allowing for greater and wider deployment in the second phase that is scheduled to run until 2030. Then the government will seek to make green hydrogen costs competitive with fossil-fuel alternatives for refineries and fertilizer production, exploring commercial-scale green hydrogen-based projects in the steel, mobility and shipping sectors.</p><p>The government aims to make India "the global hub for production, usage and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives", according to the National Green Hydrogen Mission policy document, with an intention to reach 5mn t/yr of green hydrogen production by 2030.</p><p>Indian state-controlled gas distributor Gail has already begun <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2331203">blending grey hydrogen with natural gas</a> to be supplied to Avantika Gas, its joint venture with state-controlled refiner Hindustan Petroleum. Gail launched the hydrogen blending project as a pilot venture, seeking to establish the feasibility of blending hydrogen into the city gas distribution network. It aims to subsequently replace grey hydrogen with green hydrogen. Gail has successfully blended up to 2pc of hydrogen in natural gas in the city gas network, it said last year. </p><p>State-controlled power utility NTPC also has started <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2406050">blending green hydrogen into the piped natural gas (PNG) network</a> of gas distributor Gujarat Gas. The joint venture is equipped with a 6.5kW polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyser powered by a 1MW floating solar power unit, the first of its kind in India, according to a NTPC official. </p><p>Hydrogen can be blended with natural gas for industries such as ammonia, refining and methanol and into natural gas pipelines for the existing city gas network of PNG and CNG, according to a report by government think-tank Niti Aayog. </p><p>The blending of hydrogen into city gas distribution is currently at the nascent stage as the government is experimenting and monitoring its outcome. There is a limit to blending hydrogen in existing pipeline infrastructure because of its low density and higher diffusivity, as existing gas pipelines should be coated or made of different material to withstand higher compression ratios, the report added.</p><p class="bylines">By Rituparna Ghosh</p></article>
