Sembcorp Industries developing Rs 36,000 crore green hydrogen project in TN

The green hydrogen unit of Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries Ltd has commenced initial contract signings for a Rs 36,238 crore investment to construct a green hydrogen facility in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu.

Sembcorp has awarded the first phase of the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to Maire’s Tecnimont and Nextchem, its engineering and sustainable technology solutions arms, respectively.

As per reports, the contract involves setting up a ‘green ammonia plant in India’ under Sembcorp Green Hydrogen India.

Earlier this year, Sembcorp signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government, which aims to create around 1,511 jobs in the Thoothukudi area. Subsequently, Sembcorp partnered with Japanese companies such as Sojitz Corp and Kyushu Electric Power to export green hydrogen produced in India to Japan.

The engineering study will utilize Nextchem’s digital tool, ArcHy (Architecture of Hydrogen systems), to address the intermittency challenges of renewable power, optimizing the plant’s capital and operational expenditures throughout its lifecycle. The ArcHy tool will analyze renewable energy production profiles over a year in various weather conditions to determine the optimal size for components like electrolyzers, storage systems, and green ammonia production facilities, aiming to minimize the levelized cost of ammonia.

Based on this analysis, TCMPL will design the facility’s components, providing specialized engineering services.

Maire CEO Alessandro Bernini held, “Our engagement in energy transition projects around the world, particularly in green ammonia plants, testifies to the Group’s reliability at all levels in proposing engineering and technological solutions that meet the industry’s decarbonisation and cost-efficiency requirements, also thanks to our synergic and integrated approach.”

Earlier this year, Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani revealed his company will make fresh investments in green hydrogen and other renewable energy segments in Tamil Nadu.