Shimla, Apr 25 (KNN) India took a major step towards promoting green hydrogen technology with the inauguration of the country's first multi-purpose green hydrogen pilot project at the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) in Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday.

The project, inaugurated by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Chairman and Managing Director Geeta Kapur, consists of a 20Nm3/hr electrolyser and 25kW fuel cell capacity.

It is a combined heat and power plant that can generate green hydrogen while also catering to the high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) coating facility at NJHPS for its combustion fuel requirements.

The pilot project is designed to produce 14 kg of green hydrogen daily during eight hours of operation, utilising renewable energy from SJVN's 1.31 MW solar power plant in Wadhal, Himachal Pradesh.

The hydrogen gas will be stored in six storage tanks and used for HVOF coating of turbine underwater parts, in addition to generating electricity through its 25kW fuel cell.

Aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission, this pioneering project aims to accelerate the development of green hydrogen production infrastructure in India's power sector, establishing it as a clean energy source.

During the inauguration, Kapur also launched the centralised operation of the 1,500 MW NJHPS and 412 MW Rampur Hydro Power Station (RHPS), remotely operating Unit-2 of RHPS from the NJHPS control room in Jhakri.

(KNN Bureau)