Centre to set up first hydrogen dispensing station: Official

Chennai, Feb 22 (UNI) Considering the growing need for developing alternative energy sources such as hydrogen and fuel cells, the Centre will set up the first hydrogen dispensing station in New Delhi this year.

This was announced by Secretary, Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Mr V Subramanian while inaugurating a National Workshop on Fuel Cell Technology organised by the SRM University in association with Queen's University, Kingston, Canada at its campus in suburban Kattankulathur.

Mr Subramanian, whose speech was read out in absentia by Dr B M S Bist, Advisor to the Ministry, said the dispensing station would be set up by the public Sector major Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited.

It would be used for dispensing hydrogen-compressed natural gas (H-CNG) blend as well as 'neat' hydrogen in vehicles as part of a development and demonstration project.

''More such stations will be set up in the country in due course,'' he said adding the Ministry had also supported another project of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers for introduction of H-CNG blend as fuel in the existing CNG vehicles after suitable modifications.

''The IOL and five major automobile manufacturers are part of this project which will provide experience to the participating organisations about handling of hydrogen and appropriate H-CNG blends as automotive fuels,'' Mr Subramanian said.

Observing this was the first project taken by the Ministry in the Public-Private-Partnership mode, he said the Centre would also set up a National Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Centre.

The Fuel Cell Centre would come up in the campus of the Solar Energy Centre of the Ministry at Gwalpahari near Gurgaon in Haryana and act as the National Test facility for hydrogen energy and fuel cell-based devices.

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