India will soon expand the use of hydrogen-blended compressed natural gas (HCNG) beyond Delhi, the country’s petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan told The Hydrogen Economy - New Delhi Dialogue 2021 webinar on April 15. 

Pradhan inaugurated state-run Indian Oil's HCNG plant and launched the trial run of buses fuelled by HCNG in Delhi in October last year. Indian Oil is running 50 HCNG buses in the pilot phase. Pradhan said that the government is now looking to kick start similar pilot projects in other cities as well.  

The existing internal combustion engine can be run on HCNG without significant modification and with a minimal upgrade to existing CNG infrastructure, according to Indian Oil. The blended fuel offers a 70% reduction of carbon monoxide and a 25% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions over standard CNG.  

The Indian government permitted the use of HCNG as an automobile fuel in September 2020. The ministry of road transport and highways has allowed a CNG mix of up to 18% hydrogen to be used in engines. The Bureau of Indian Standards has also set specifications for HCNG for automotive purposes. 

Pradhan said that hydrogen had huge potential as an emerging clean fuel and that by establishing synergies with natural gas, it could be easily adopted in the energy mix without incurring additional infrastructure costs. He said that HCNG can be used in the automotive sector as well as for domestic cooking applications.  

The minister said that Indian refineries are planning to leverage their surplus hydrogen capabilities. Indian Oil’s Gujarat refinery is working on developing blue hydrogen, he said.