SJVN inaugurates India's first multi-purpose green hydrogen pilot project

Power major SJVN Ltd has achieved a significant milestone with the inauguration of India's first multipurpose green hydrogen pilot project at its 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) in Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh, the power ministry said on Thursday.

Green hydrogen produced from the combined heat and power project will be used for the High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) coating facility to meet the combustion fuel requirements of NJHPS. Apart from this, it will also generate electricity through its fuel cell of 25 kW capacity.

The state-of-the-art green hydrogen pilot project is set to produce 14 kilograms of green hydrogen per day in eight hours of operation.

The produced hydrogen will be stored at a pressure of 30 bar in six storage tanks, with a total storage capacity of 12 m3. The project will produce hydrogen using alkaline electrolyzer of 20 Nm3/hr capacity, powered by renewable energy supplied from SJVN's 1.31 MW solar power plant at Wadhal, Shimla.

Apart from generating electricity, green hydrogen will also be used for high-velocity oxygen fuel coating of underwater parts of the turbine.

SJVN Chairperson and Managing Director Geeta Kapoor, who inaugurated the project on Wednesday, said, “The pilot project is geared towards accelerating the development of green hydrogen production infrastructure in the power sector as per the Green Hydrogen Mission of the Government of India.”

During her visit, the SJVN Chairperson also inaugurated the first-of-its-kind centralized operation of 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) and 412 MW Rampur Hydro Power Station, wherein Unit-2 of the plant was operated remotely. Will go. NJHPS Control Room at Jhakri.

Rampur HPS is being successfully operated in collaboration with NJHPS.