NTPC, GE Gas Power inks MoU for demonstrating hydrogen co-firing in gas turbines

NTPC and GE Gas Power signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for feasibility to demonstrate hydrogen co-firing blended with natural gas in GE's 9E gas turbines installed at NTPC's Kawas combined-cycle gas power plant in Gujarat.

Under this significant collaboration, the two companies will jointly explore the pathways to reduce CO2 emissions from Kawas gas power plant and further implementation at scale across NTPC's installed units in India, the company said.

NTPC said that its Kawas gas power plant is powered by four GE 9E gas turbines operating in a combined-cycle mode and has an installed capacity of 645 megawatt (MW). Further, GE's advance E- Class gas turbine portfolio currently has the capability to burn up to 100% by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas.

This capability varies depending on the type of combustion system used. For fuels with over 5% hydrogen by volume, gas turbine accessories need to be evaluated and possibly modified to reliably deliver the fuel to the combustors, the company stated.

In this first-of-its-kind MoU with NTPC in India, GE Gas Power will evaluate the possible modifications in the gas turbine unit and auxiliaries required for blending of H2 with natural gas. Thereafter, a pilot project for 5% co-firing of hydrogen may be implemented at the Kawas gas power plant in a safe environment based on the feasibility report. NTPC shall provide H2 required for the project.

Ujjwal Kanti Bhattacharya, director (projects), NTPC, said, NTPC, with a large fleet of power generation facilities delivering more than 70 GW across India, has been at the forefront when it comes to piloting new hydrogen-related initiatives. NTPC is committed to playing a key role in India's energy transition journey as the country marches ahead to achieve net-zero target and climate goals. In parallel, it's crucial to invest and effectively utilize the proven technology that can generate electricity, which is affordable, accessible and reliable.

Bhattacharya further added, This MoU is among the steps we are taking in the direction to meet the objectives under the National Hydrogen Mission. As our collaboration with GE grows deeper, we are more focused to use advanced technology and leverage our gas power assets with higher percentage of zero-carbon fuels such as H2, as the availability of the fuel becomes viable.

Deepesh Nanda, CEO of GE Gas Power South Asia, said, India's power landscape is strengthened by the emerging technologies that are at various stages of development and industrial competitiveness. Hydrogen has a significant potential to play a complementary role along with other lowto-zero carbon fuels in generating electricity at scale. We applaud NTPC's leadership, commitment and investment in hydrogen that can further set new industry benchmarks in terms of discovering low-cost hydrogen industry going forward and achieving energy self-reliance.

NTPC is India's largest energy conglomerate. It has presence in the entire value chain of the power generation business. As on 30 June 2022, the Government of India holds 51.10% in NTPC.

NTPC's consolidated net profit rose 15.5% to Rs 3,977.77 crore on a 44.5% rise in net sales to Rs 43,177.14 crore in Q1 FY23 over Q1 FY22.

Shares NTPC declined 0.77% to Rs 161.50 on the BSE.

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