Hydrogen auto fuel blueprint in place

New Delhi, Jan. 18: The Ratan Tata-led steering group’s roadmap for introducing hydrogen as an auto fuel will be forwarded to the cabinet for its approval within the next 15 days, minister for non-conventional energy resources Vilas Muttemar said today.

In November, the group had prepared a roadmap to launch one million hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on Indian roads by 2020 and generate 1,000 mw of power through hydrogen-based plants. The plan entails an investment of Rs 25,000 crore.

The hydrogen roadmap for “green initiative for future transport” plans to develop and demonstrate hydrogen-powered engines and duel-cell-based vehicles, which include small two-wheelers, cars, vans and buses, through the different phases of development.

The “accompanying green initiative for power generation” envisages developing and demonstrating hydrogen-powered turbines and fuel-cell-based decentralised power generating systems of 1,000-mw aggregate capacity by 2020.

The roadmap has estimated an investment of Rs 25,000 crore for the project. While Rs 1,000 crore will be required for R&D, Rs 24,000 crore will be spent on creating the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution.

It has recommended a strong public-private partnership for implementing the entire hydrogen energy system.

Muttemar said his ministry would also focus on 93 large municipal corporations in the country to set up waste-based power plants.

He said since technologies for such plants require large capital investments, yield low returns and have higher levels of risk, a scheme with attractive incentives would be unveiled soon.