L&T Commissions First Indigenously Built Green Hydrogen Electrolyser At Hazira

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has commissioned its first indigenously-manufactured electrolyser at the Green Hydrogen Plant at A M Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat, the company said in a press release.

The electrolyser, featuring a rated power capacity of 1 MW (expandable to 2 MW), can produce hydrogen of 200 Nm3/Hr (normal meter cubed per hour), a unit to measure gas flow rate.

It is equipped with two stacks and an electrolyser processing unit ML-400, which is indigenously manufactured and assembled, adhering to the latest international standards, and offers exceptional flexibility and thermal stability, the company said.

The electrolyser will now undergo rigorous testing in the coming weeks to optimise its performance, and in turn, paving the way for full-fledged manufacturing of electrolysers.

Although hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe, it is rarely found in nature in its elemental form and always must be extracted from other hydrogen-containing compounds. It also means that how well hydrogen contributes decarbonisation depends on how clean and green the method of production is.

Green hydrogen is generated through the electrolysis of water using electricity derived from renewable sources. The carbon footprint of this process hinges on the carbon neutrality of the electricity source. In simpler terms, the more renewable energy in the electricity mix, the greener the produced hydrogen becomes.

Central to the green hydrogen production process is the electrolyser technology. Alkaline and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysers are two commercially available technologies for green hydrogen production today. Advanced electrolyser technologies like solid oxide and anion exchange membrane nearing commercial deployment as well.

L&T Electrolysers Limited, a newly incorporated entity of L&T, is focused on manufacturing pressurised alkaline electrolysers using the technology from McPhy Energy, France.

The company plans to leverage its upcoming giga-scale facility in Hazira to meet the growing demand for green hydrogen, maximising product localisation through enhanced local supply chain, and automation for cost-competitiveness.

L&T Electrolysers has been allocated a significant 300 MW per annum capacity under the Production Linked Incentive of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and implemented by the Solar Energy Corporation of India.