NTPC Limited, India's largest integrated power generating company under the Ministry of Power, has floated a global Expression of Interest (EoI) to set up a pilot project on hydrogen blending with natural gas in the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in India.

This pilot on hydrogen blending with natural gas will be the first of its kind in India and explore the viability of decarbonising India's natural gas grid.

The EoI follows the recent tenders floated by NTPC REL for green hydrogen fuelling station at Leh and NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN) for procurement of Fuel Cell Buses. A dedicated 1.25 MW Solar plant is also being set up at Leh by NTPC REL to power the hydrogen fuelling station.

NTPC is keen on playing a pivotal role in India's transition to the hydrogen economy and would later take this up at a commercial scale across India.

"The successful execution of the pilot will also demonstrate the decarbonisation objective along with import substitution aim under the government's Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan," the Ministry of Power said.

NTPC Limited is also keenly exploring the production of green ammonia to decarbonise the fertiliser industry and possibly fulfil the government's upcoming mandate of using a certain percentage of green hydrogen in the fertiliser and refinery sector.

Also, a detailed study on green methanol production at Ramagundam has been completed, and the company is expected to make a final investment decision soon.