DNV is providing technical advice and support to Pipeline Infrastructure Limited (PIL) on the integration of blended hydrogen into its gas trunkline assets in India – including transmission pipelines, interconnects and spur lines, compressor, valve, as well as metering stations and equipment.
PIL’s initiative is one of the first hydrogen blended related projects in the transmission space in India, aligned with the government’s launch of India’s National Hydrogen Mission in August 2021, targeting 5 million tonnes per year of hydrogen production by 2030. In parallel with fiscal support and other incentives, the mission aims to leverage the nation’s significant renewable energy potential to transform India into a green hydrogen hub, help meet national climate goals and enable India to become a major producer and exporter of hydrogen to Japan, South Korea, and Europe.
According to DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook 2021, demand for hydrogen in the Indian subcontinent will reach nearly 25 million tonnes per annum by 2050, primarily for ammonia production, transportation, and refining. As a basis for green hydrogen production, the report also shows strong predicted growth in renewable generation in India, particularly solar photovoltaics, wind, and hydro power which will make up 65% of the country’s electricity generation mix by 2050.
Akhil Mehrotra, chief executive of PIL said “the hydrogen industry in India is still in its infancy and has a huge scope to supplement the growing energy needs while supporting the shift to a cleaner environment. Backed by strong governmental support for clean energy and significant renewable energy potential, India has the unique opportunity to become a major producer and exporter of hydrogen.”
While, Brice Le Gallo, regional director APAC, energy systems at DNV, added that “repurposing natural gas pipelines for hydrogen is 10-30% of the cost of building new pure hydrogen networks. DNV is pleased to play a role in this by supporting PIL to transition its gas network to incorporate blended hydrogen to support local industries. In doing so, DNV will leverage its technical expertise and methodology to help our clients meet their emission reduction goals while retaining the use of their existing infrastructure.”
Drawing upon DNV’s expertise in assessing the technical impacts on gas pipelines of using hydrogen at different blending ratios, PIL will be provided with technical advice on the readiness of its infrastructure to incorporate hydrogen, DNV said in a statement. Furthermore, DNV will help PIL assess the suitability of its existing network and related assets to incorporate hydrogen at a range of blending levels.
DNV said that blending hydrogen with natural gas in existing infrastructure will facilitate the use of a cleaner gas that can help countries such as India smoothly transition to a decarbonised future. Aside from rapidly and significantly lowering India’s carbon footprint, incorporating blended hydrogen in the transportation, power generation and industrial sectors can also offer new business opportunities.
