Power major NTPC has signed a pact with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to demonstrate the feasibility for hydrogen co-firing blended with natural gas in gas turbines installed at NTPC Auraiya Gas Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh.
The total installed capacity of the Auraiya Gas Power Plant is 663 megawatt (MW) with four gas turbines operating in combined cycle mode.
The MoU was signed by NTPC with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Indian subsidiary Mitsubishi Power India.
Both the companies signed the MoU in the presence of NTPC director (projects) Ujjwal Kanti Bhattacharya and Mitsubishi Power India CEO Tatsuto Nagayasu.
In a statement on Monday, NTPC said that achieving decarbonizing targets requires a concerted and wide-ranging roadmap across all energy intensive sectors. As a part of this road map, hydrogen co-firing in gas turbines can play a key role in reducing CO2 emissions, it added.
NTPC, which is largest power generator in India, said that it intends to play a major role in energy transition and achieving the COP26 commitments.
"As a part of this initiative, NTPC is exploring various new hydrogen generation technologies along with hydrogen usage so as to ensure future readiness, develop the required capabilities, and technical expertise, and align with the national decarbonizing and hydrogen mission targets," the company said.
Under this MoU, both companies will collaborate to carry out the study and identify key actions for introducing hydrogen co-firing at NTPC Auraiya Gas-based combined cycle power plant.
The study will identify key actions for co-firing for various percentages of hydrogen e.g. 5 per cent, 15 per cent, 30 per cent, 50 per cent and 100 per cent, and the hydrogen required for the project will be supplied by NTPC.