The Central Government has approved three pilot projects under the National Green Hydrogen Mission to explore how green hydrogen can be used in steel production.
These projects target to develop technologies that reduce carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, helping India meet its clean energy goals.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy underlined the objectives of these projects, including testing the technical and economic credibility of using hydrogen in low-carbon iron and steelmaking. The projects include:
- Produce Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) using 100% hydrogen in a vertical shaft.
- Use hydrogen in blast furnaces to cut down on coal and coke consumption.
- Inject hydrogen into DRI production units.
After the evaluation, three companies were selected for the pilot projects by MNRE:
- Matrix Gas and Renewables Ltd. [Association members: Gensol Engineering Ltd, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Metsol AB, Sweden) with a pilot plant capacity of 50 ton-per-day (TPD)]
- Simplex Castings Ltd. [Association member: BSBK Pvt. Ltd., Ten Eight Investment, IIT Bhilai) with pilot plant capacity 40 TPD
- Steel Authority of India Ltd. (3,200 tons per day capacity).
The Indian Government has allocated ₹347 crore to these projects, which are expected to be operational within the next three years. These initiatives will play a crucial role in decarbonizing the steel industry, which is a large contributor to global carbon emissions.
The National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched in January 2023, has a budget of ₹19,744 crore and is part of India’s goal to become Aatmanirbhar in clean energy.
These pilot projects will help India reduce its dependency on imported fossil fuels and position the country as a leader in green hydrogen technology.
This mission is a key component of India’s broader efforts to combat climate change and contribute to the global energy transition.
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