EIL is conducting a study on blending of green hydrogen with PNG. Around 3-5 per cent can be blended without any adverse impact on the pipeline infrastructure. It is an initial finding,” a senior government official said.
EIL and IIT Kanpur are studying the impact of green hydrogen on city gas distribution (CGD) pipelines and the initial findings of the report have been submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), the official added.
The development assumes significance as this will help the world’s third largest energy consumer save on fossil fuel imports. India imports roughly half of its natural gas requirement as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The world’s fourth largest LNG importer consumed 66.63 billion cubic meters (BCM) natural gas in FY24, compared to 59.97 BCM and 64.16 BCM in FY23 and FY22, respectively.
It is produced using RE and electrolysis to split water and is distinct from grey hydrogen, which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases. Energy can be extracted from hydrogen through combustion or through fuel cells, which emit only water as a by-product.
However, using hydrogen has its own disadvantages. According to a study by the US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2013, “How it (hydrogen) affects the pipelines it travels in and appliances that use it. On the pipeline front, hydrogen embrittlement can weaken metal or polyethylene pipes and increase leakage risks, particularly in high-pressure pipes.
The Central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) are already running pilot projects on blending green hydrogen with PNG.
For instance, State-run NTPC has commissioned a green hydrogen blending project at Kawas (Gujarat) with 5 per cent hydrogen blending on a volume basis with PNG. Hydrogen blend was increased to 8 per cent on a volume basis with PNG from December 2023 onwards.