INDIA’S FIRST GREEN HYDROGEN MICROGRID PROJECTS IN ANDHRA
Highlights
- The project has been awarded at the Simhadri plant of NTPC Ltd. in Andhra Pradesh.
- NTPC will involve in “Standalone Fuel-cell based Microgrid along with hydrogen production using electrolyzer” project at NTPC Simhadri.
- India has also planned to call bids to build 4 gigawatt (GW) of electrolyzer capacity under its energy security strategy.
Green Hydrogen Mobility project
- For a green hydrogen mobility project, NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC REL) has also signed a pact with Union territory of Ladakh.
- This project will be executed by NTPC in association with the NVVN.
How Green Hydrogen is produced?
- Green hydrogen is produced by separating water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyzer, which is powered by renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
- Green Hydrogen as fuel can be a game-changer for India’s energy security.
- India currently imports 85% of its oil and 53% of gas requirements.
Significance of the project
- This project will act as a precursor to large scale hydrogen energy storage projects.
- It will also be useful to study and deploy multiple microgrids in several off-grid and strategic locations in India.
- This project has been designed in-house by NTPC.
- It would open doors for de-carbonising the far-off regions in India like Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
- Project has been implemented in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to become carbon neutral by 2070 and make Ladakh a carbon-neutral territory.
Installed Capacity of NTPC
- Across 70 power projects, NTPC has an installed capacity of around 67.907 GW. 18 GW projects are under construction.
- NTPC has aimed to generate 60 GW renewable energy capacity by 2032 from the current capacity of 4.7 GW.
Simhadri Super Thermal Power Plant
- It is a coal-fired power plant, established in Visakhapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the coal-fired power plants of NTPC.
- Coal for this power plant is sourced from Kalinga Block of Talcher Coal fields in Odisha.
- It is a national asset, and power generated is shared between multiple states.