Gail starts blending hydrogen in city gas in India

India’s biggest gas marketing firm Gail has started mixing hydrogen into the natural gas system at Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh, it said on January 31. The hydrogen blended natural gas will be supplied to Avantika Gas, Gail’s joint venture with state-run HPCL, operating in Indore.

Gail said it has started hydrogen blending as a pilot project to establish the techno-commercial feasibility of blending hydrogen in the city gas distribution network. The company started injection of grey hydrogen at the city gate station in Indore. This grey hydrogen would subsequently be replaced by green hydrogen, the company said. The project is the first such project in India. 

“As our country is moving forward with ambitious goal of achieving a carbon-neutral and self-reliant future, this project is a significant step in that direction,” Gail said.

“It is expected that this pilot project would help in creation of a robust standard and regulatory framework in India to cover the aspects of injecting hydrogen into natural gas. This will pave the path for carrying out more similar projects in India,” it added.