NTPC to set up biggest Green Hydrogen Hub at Pudimadaka

Anakapalli: The NTPC Simhadri Super Thermal Power Station braces to set up a Green Hydrogen Hub and derivatives at Pudimadaka in Anakapalli district. With a memorandum of understanding (MoU) of the project signed at the Global Investors' Summit that concluded earlier in March, NTPC has laid out plans to take up the project in phases and focus on its completion in a time-bound manner.

Split into two phases, the hub would be established to generate green hydrogen, green ammonia and green methanol at an estimated cost of Rs 1.10 lakh crore. Given the connectivity access, the site at Pudimadaka, about 45-km away from Visakhapatnam city, has been chosen for the model, extending up to 1,200 acres. Divided into two main domains -- industrial and hydrogen areas, the NTPC has conceptualised setting up of the Green Hydrogen Hub with an aim to develop an ecosystem for clean energy. It includes production of green hydrogen and related components. The estimated cost of each phase of the project is Rs 55,000 crore.

Sharing details of the park with The Hans India, GGM (Business Unit Head) of NTPC Sanjay Kumar Sinha, says, "The project is slated to be completed by 2030, while the first phase of it would be wrapped up in the next three to four years." The industrial area covers 600 acres featuring pre-engineered buildings, sheds with solar rooftop and industrial spaces. Also, it will host manufacturing facilities for new energy technologies like electrolysers, fuel cells, batteries, solar wafer, solar modules, wind turbine equipment and carbon capture systems.

Another 600 acres will be used to cover the hydrogen area. It will be home to one of the country's largest green hydrogen production facilities with a capacity of 1,500 TPD. "The facility will be operated in collaboration with other global companies and produce green hydrogen and derivatives, including 1,300 TPD of green ammonia and 1,200 TPD of green methanol, primarily to cater to the South Asian export market," explains Sanjay Kumar Sinha.

Terming it as a pet project, the NTPC officials inform that the investment will be finalised after working on feasibility studies and preparation of a detailed project report. As the earlier proposal of establishing a 4,000-MW thermal power plant was deemed to be not-so-viable for the construction of an ultra-modern power plant, it has now been replaced with the clean energy hub following deliberations.