PNGRB plans draft regulations for hydrogen transport and blending

The idea is to ensure the country's gas pipeline network is ready for Hydrogen integration, so as to send a clear signal to the industry that this future fuel can be transported to the market

India’s petroleum regulator is working on a draft regulation governing hydrogen transportation through pipelines and its blending with natural gas, a move which will ensure that the country’s gas pipeline network is ready for hydrogen integration. It will also send out a clear signal to the industry that this future fuel can be transported to the market.

 

“The draft regulation that will deal with matters like safety norms, technical feasibility, and the tariff to be charged by the pipeline entity etc. will be ready in the next few months,” a senior official privy to the development said.

 

The regulations, being developed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), will provide a structured framework for assessment of readiness, pilot implementation and long-term planning with regulatory clarity. It will focus on both hydrogen blending into natural gas pipelines and the deployment of dedicated hydrogen transport infrastructure.

 

The National Green Hydrogen Mission, approved in January 2023, aims at making India a global hub for production, utilisation, and export of green hydrogen. It has set a target of achieving 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen production annually by 2030, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports and driving decarbonisation.

 

The Mission says that MoPNG will support the uptake of green hydrogen in the refinery and city gas distribution sectors, both through public sector enterprises and private sector entities. MoPNG will enable development and facilitation of regulations for hydrogen blending with natural gas and its transport in pipelines through PNGRB.

 

Green Hydrogen is currently mostly planned to be produced by the electrolysis of water and is, therefore, not classified as “natural gas”. For PNGRB to regulate the transport and blending of Hydrogen, it would require changes in the business rules and amending the PNGRB Act. Until then, the regulator plans to ready the draft.

 

“PNGRB is leading the development of a regulatory and technical roadmap to facilitate hydrogen readiness of India’s gas infrastructure, including pipelines, compressor stations, and end-user networks. This roadmap aims to provide a structured pathway for safe, scalable, and feasible hydrogen blending, and transport in near-to-medium term,” a report prepared by ICF on the roadmap for PNGRB stated.

The report provides recommendations for establishing the regulatory and technical framework for safe hydrogen blending and pure hydrogen transport in India’s natural gas and CGD pipelines, and implementing pilots to generate data on material compatibility, safety, and operational performance for hydrogen infrastructure, among other measures.   

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