Indian Oil joins World Hydrogen Council, ramps up hydrogen supply capabilities

Indian Oil Corporation, the largest oil marketing company in the country, has become a member of the World Hydrogen Council. This global CEO-led coalition, which is working to accelerate the energy transition through hydrogen, now counts 123 companies representing a variety of sectors – from utilities, chemical producers, energy companies and engineers to mobility providers and bankers, among others – all committed to scaling up the hydrogen value chain to contribute to a clean and diversified energy system.

The World Hydrogen Council believes that hydrogen has a key role to play in reaching global decarbonisation goals by helping to diversify energy sources worldwide, foster business and technological innovation as drivers for long-term economic growth, and decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors.

On its part, Indian Oil Corporation is making strong moves to branch out into the production of alternative fuels and is ramping up its capabilities to supply hydrogen. Ample proof of that was part of Chairman SM Vaidya’s speech at the company’s 62^nd annual general meeting.

Hydrogen can be a game-changer for India
“Let me assert that in all our operational and marketing endeavours, environmental conscience will be a critical priority . . . balancing environmental priorities will be critical for a sustainable future. In this context, the rollout of the National Hydrogen Mission by the Hon’ble Prime Minister is crucial, as it aims to make India a hub for producing and exporting green hydrogen. This vision validates the green growth trajectory that Indian Oil is already pursuing as the ‘Energy of India’.”

“Hydrogen is the most promising energy frontier of tomorrow and Indian Oil has been leading India’s foray into leveraging the power of this fuel of the future. To strengthen our bouquet of clean energy offerings, Indian Oil will build the nation’s first ‘Green Hydrogen’ plant at Mathura Refinery, pioneering the introduction of green hydrogen in India. This new-age, emission-free fuel can be a game-changer for the country that is among the top crude oil importing nations. Being the top fuel refiner and retailer, Indian Oil is intently pursuing ambitious plans for hydrogen production across various hues, including utilising renewable power to generate green hydrogen.”

“Indian Oil R&D Centre has been undertaking cutting-edge research in all facets of Hydrogen, including production, storage, and applications like fuel cells. Our Hydrogen CNG (HCNG) experiment in Delhi, wherein we converted 50 CNG BS-IV buses to run on HCNG fuel, has revealed significant benefits in reducing exhaust emissions and improving the fuel economy. With the bulk of the transportation fleet consisting of BS-IV compliant buses, this is a promising development for improving the air quality of our cities.”

The Indian Oil chairman said that the company is also in the process of setting up one-tonne per day capacity pilot plants based on four innovative hydrogen production technologies. It will be operating 15 fuel cell buses in the Delhi-NCR region along with Tata Motors. Furthermore, it will also be seeding hydrogen mobility by commoditising the surplus quantities of hydrogen available at the Gujarat refinery with a dispensing facility for hydrogen-powered buses.”