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L&T will be both manufacturer and developer of green hydrogen.
By M
RAMESH -
Mar 23, 2023
The electrolyser plant will come up at L&T’s
manufacturing hub at Hazira, Gujarat
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L&T, which today announced a tie-up with the French company McPhy, for
technology for electrolyser manufacture, will be present in both
segments of the green hydrogen ecosystem – electrolyser manufacturing
and production of the gas, the company’s Whole-time Director and
Senior Executive Vice-President (Energy), Subramanian Sarma, told businessline today.
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Subramanian Sarma, Whole-time Director and Senior
Executive Vice-President (Energy), L&T | Photo Credit:
But the company is starting its hydrogen innings
with electrolyser manufacturing. The tie-up with McPhy is, for the
present, only a technology service agreement, under which the French
company would transfer the ‘pressurised alkaline electrolyser’
technology to L&T.
A call on McPhy co-investing in electrolyser manufacture could be
taken later, Sarma said.
The electrolyser plant will come up at L&T’s
manufacturing hub at Hazira, Gujarat. The precise amount of investment
into the plant is yet to be worked out, but will be a part of the
₹10,000-crore grand plan for L&T’s foray into green hydrogen.
Alkaline vs PEM tech
Sarma said that groundbreaking for the
electrolyser plant could happen as early as in April. Asked why L&T
chose ‘alkaline’ technology — which is said to be dated,
power-guzzling and less safe — Sarma said that the other technology,
PEM, is not fully well-established yet. (A similar view has been often
expressed by SSV Ramakumar, Director-R&D, Indian Oil
Corporation.) Both technologies have pros and cons. However, “we will
start with alkaline now and can always get into PEM later,” Sarma
said.
He said that McPhy’s alkaline technology was more
advanced, because it is a ‘pressurised’ electrolyser and therefore
more energy efficient and can handle fluctuating power loads. The
safety issues around the alkaline technology have all be considered
and addressed, he said.
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