Reliance, L&T, Adani, John Cockerill to produce electrolysers by 2025

Over half the eight companies that won bids in January for electrolyser manufacturing under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, have conveyed to the government that they will be able to commission their units by next year, ahead of the 2026 deadline.

This will be a boost to India’s green ambitions as electrolysers are essential for green hydrogen production.

John Cockerill Greenko Hydrogen, L&T Electrolysers, Reliance Electrolyser Manufacturing and Adani New Industries see their manufacturing units ready by 2025.

Electrolysers split water into oxygen and hydrogen using electricity – a process known as electrolysis. Green hydrogen is a gas made by electrolysers using power from renewable energy sources and is essential for decarbonising industries.

Currently, India is reliant on the global market to source electrolysers for its green hydrogen projects. To counter this, as well as reduce the cost of green hydrogen production, the Solar Energy Corporation of India, in July 2023, issued a request for selection of electrolyser manufacturers to set up 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of capacity.

Industry players said the current price of an electrolyser in the global market is $600 (Rs 50,000) per kilowatt (kW). Through the PLI scheme, this price will be brought down to $564-570 (Rs 47,000) in India. However, an electrolyser in China is still cheaper at $400 (Rs 33,000) per kW.

While Greenko partnered with John Cockerill, a global leader in electrolyser manufacturing, Reliance Industries partnered with Danish company Stiesdal for the development and manufacturing of hydrogen electrolysers. Reliance has also entered into a technology licensing agreement with Norway’s Nel ASA for its alkaline electrolysers in India.

L&T commissioned its first indigenously manufactured hydrogen electrolyser at the green hydrogen plant in Hazira, Gujarat on March 1. With a power capacity of 1 MW (expandable to 2 MW), the electrolyser is equipped with two stacks and an electrolyser processing unit that’s indigenously manufactured and assembled. The company used alkaline electrolyser technology from McPhy Energy, France.

Adani New Industries has tied up with multiple technology partners to build its facility. Ohmium has been operating an electrolyser manufacturing plant since 2021. With lower cost of electrolysers and India’s low-cost renewable electricity, India’s green hydrogen production could become competitive with other fuels.