TheGreenBillions Limited (TGBL) announced a collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation to establish the first plant in India to extract green hydrogen from biomass and municipal solid waste. For the next 30 years, TGBL’s wholly-owned subsidiary Variate Pune Waste to Energy (VPWTEPL) will manage and use the municipal solid waste of 350 TPD in Pune to generate hydrogen. The company is planning with other state municipalities about establishing similar plants. The Broadcast Engineering Consultants India, a central public sector enterprise will provide project management consulting.
The Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from waste will be used to generate hydrogen using Plasma Gasification technology. The technology was developed in collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology has proposed that the generated hydrogen be offloaded at the facility and that logistical infrastructure for hydrogen transportation to industries be developed.
In the first phase, the MAHAPREIT proposed blending in the Pune city gas distribution network in collaboration with Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited. This could help Pune in saving 2.5 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, divert 3.8 million metric tonnes of waste from landfills, and directly serve approximately 180,000 households with this project.
Recently in January 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission on January 4, 2023. The mission has an initial budget outlay of Rs 197.44 billion. This comprises an outlay of Rs 174.9 billion for the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme, Rs 14.66 billion for pilot projects, Rs 400 million for R&D, and Rs 388 million towards other components. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been given the responsibility of overall coordination and implementation of the mission and also formulation of the scheme guidelines.
