SJVN begins operations of 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station

SJVN Limited has achieved a significant milestone with the inauguration of India’s first Multi-purpose (Combined Heat & Power) Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at SJVN’s 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) in Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh. The green hydrogen produced from the project will be utilized for High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) Coating Facility of NJHPS for meeting its combustion fuel requirements. In addition, it will also generate electricity through its fuel cell of 25 kW capacity.

The first Multi-purpose (Combined Heat & Power) Green Hydrogen Generation Plant of the nation has been inaugurated by Chairperson and Managing Director, Geeta Kapur on April 24, 2024. Speaking about the project, the Chairperson said: “Aligned with National Green Hydrogen Mission of Government of India, SJVN’s Green Hydrogen Pilot Project is poised to accelerate the development of green hydrogen production infrastructure in the power sector, thus establishing green hydrogen as a clean energy source.”

The state-of-the-art Green Hydrogen Pilot Project is set to produce 14 kilograms of Green Hydrogen daily during 8 hours of operation. The hydrogen produced will be stored at a pressure of 30 bars, in six storage tanks, with a total storage capacity of 12 m3. The project will produce hydrogen using alkaline electrolyzer of 20 Nm3/hour capacity, which would be powered by renewable energy supplied from 1.31 MW Solar Power Plant of SJVN in Wadhal, Shimla.

Besides generating power, the green hydrogen will also be used for High Velocity Oxygen Fuel Coating of turbine underwater parts.

During her visit, the SJVN Chairperson also inaugurated first-of-its-kind Centralized Operation of the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) and 412 MW Rampur Hydro Power Station (Rampur HPS), by remotely operating Unit-2 of Rampur HPS from NJHPS Control Room at Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh. Rampur HPS is being successfully operated on Tandem Operating System with NJHPS.