Hydrogen-enriched CNG plant opens at Raj Ghat depot, Delhi soon to get 50 hydrogen-powered buses

Soon, the national capital will have 50 buses running on hydrogen-enriched CNG(HCNG), a fuel that experts claim is more cleaner and efficient. The announcement

Soon, the national capital will have 50 buses running on hydrogen-enriched CNG(HCNG), a fuel that experts claim is more cleaner and efficient. The announcement was made at the inauguration of India’s first semi commercial HCNG plant and dispensing centre at the Raj Ghat bus depot on Tuesday.

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The facility was inaugurated opened by Union minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan and Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot.

During the ceremony, officials said a pilot project will be launched soon to run 50 HCNG buses for six months to test the latest eco-friendly fuel technology in terms of economy and emissions.

Pradhan said the central government is looking to scale up HCNG commercially so that its price eventually comes down. According to a preliminary assessment by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), which has developed and patented the technology for the efficient and cost effective production of the fuel, the cost escalation for shifting to HCNG buses will be about 72 paise per kilometre. The IOCL hopes would this rate would come down once the fuel is used on a large scale.

“I will not call this a pilot project. I am certain that we will scale up HCNG to such a level that all state-run buses in Delhi will soon be powered by this cleaner fuel. The trial run of 50 HCNG buses will be a major breakthrough in India’s journey towards hydrogen economy. This will be a major leap also in tackling air pollution in the national capital,” Pradhan said.

In the pilot project, IOCL plans to test the performance of buses and reduction in emissions after using CNG mixed with 18% hydrogen in each bus. Senior transport officials said the best thing about HCNG is that it does not require any modification of the engine or retro fitments -- only some recalibration is required. The plant at the Raj Ghat depot has a capacity to produce four tonnes of HCNG daily.

Gahlot said the Delhi government has provided ₹15 crore for setting up the Raj Ghat plant and are conducting a study of the new fuel. “The good thing is that the ministry of road transport has also notified HCNG as a fuel starting from September 2020. When tested by the Automotive Research Association of India, the blended fuel showed a 70% reduction in carbon monoxide and a 25% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions as compared to baseline CNG. Scaling this up will majorly reduce pollution in a city which has over 10 million registered vehicles,” he said.

Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) chief Bhure Lal said the cost of HCNG production by IOCL is about 22% cheaper than conventional physical blending. “Initial trials have also shown that it increases the vehicle’s fuel economy by 4%-5%. Completion of trial is expected by April 2021. International Centre for Automative technologies (iCAT), Manesar, an independent certifying lab, will be undertaking periodic assessment of the select buses’ performance on HCNG fuel. On completion of the trial, a detailed performance report will be submitted to the Supreme Court through EPCA,” he said.