New Delhi: State-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is set to initiate a fresh tender for the establishment of a green hydrogen production unit, as part of its ambitious Rs 2.4 trillion green transition plan, reported Business Standard.
The plan aims to attain a net-zero carbon emission status by the year 2046. This decision comes after the cancellation of the initial tender, which led to bidders approaching the Delhi High Court.
The canceled tender, released on the 21st of February, had called for the construction of 10-kilo tonnes per annum capacity unit at the Panipat refinery and petrochemicals complex on a build, own, operate, and transfer basis. IOCL is committed to relaunching the tender with a national focus on establishing a sustainable production base for green hydrogen. However, there is currently no specified timeline for the release of the new tender.
The previous tender had raised concerns among potential bidders due to perceived conflicts of interest involving IOCL’s joint venture with Larsen & Toubro (L&T), known as GH4India Pvt Ltd. Renew, a renewable energy company, is among the bidders for the tender, and the Independent Green Hydrogen Producers Association, a body representing green hydrogen producers, had also approached the Delhi High Court in November.
Meanwhile, another tender by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to establish a green hydrogen production plant in Kochi may serve as the basis for determining green hydrogen prices in the country. The deadline for bid submissions for this tender is March 1. The tender calls for a 1,000-kilowatt green hydrogen plant and refueling station at the Cochin International Airport in Kerala, designed to produce 100 normal cubic meters per hour (Nm3/h) of green hydrogen via a 500-Kw electrolyser system, with the potential for expansion up to 200 Nm3/h.
In a separate development, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), under the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, recently concluded a significant green hydrogen tender. SECI invited bids for both hydrogen and electrolyzer manufacturing, aiming to leverage incentives allocated under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) program. This initiative is geared towards establishing green hydrogen and electrolyzer projects.
