IOCL, HPPCL to develop green hydrogen plant at Baddi, Modi Govt informs Parliament

Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, has informed the Parliament in the ongoing session that the government owned Oil India Limited (OIL) have partnered with the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) to set up a green hydrogen plant having a capacity of one megawatt (MW) in Baddi of Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. The minister held that the upcoming green hydrogen plant will be capable of producing 400 kg of green hydrogen per day.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Naik said that no projects under the National Green Hydrogen Mission have yet been sanctioned by the central government in Himachal Pradesh. But he noted that both the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) and OIL have independently taken steps to develop green hydrogen initiatives in the Himalayan state.

Last year, SJVNL inaugurated India’s first multi-purpose green hydrogen pilot project, combining heat and power applications, at the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station in Jhakri area.

The minister also highlighted the Himachal Pradesh government’s efforts to promote green hydrogen, stating that the Himachal Pradesh Energy Policy 2021 includes specific provisions for advancing green hydrogen energy storage solutions.

Recently, H2e Power Systems announced to have secured a tender from Oil India (OIL) to develop a green hydrogen of 1-MW project in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.

Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Centre aims to position India as a global leader in the production, use, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. Approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2023. The national mission has a total budget allocation of Rs 19,744 crore.