NTPC Limited and GE Gas Power have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for feasibility to demonstrate of hydrogen (H2) co-firing blended with natural gas in GE’s 9E gas turbines installed at NTPC’s Kawas combined-cycle gas power plant in Gujarat.
Under the collaboration, the two companies will jointly explore the pathways to reduce CO2 emissions from the Kawas gas power plant and further implementation at scale across NTPC’s installed units in India. NTPC’s Kawas gas power plant is powered by four GE 9E gas turbines operating in a combined-cycle mode and has an installed capacity of 645 MW. Further, GE’s advanced E- Class gas turbine portfolio currently can burn up to 100 per cent by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas. This capability varies depending on the type of combustion system used. For fuels with over 5 per cent hydrogen by volume, gas turbine accessories need to be evaluated and possibly modified to reliably deliver the fuel to the combustors. In this first-of-its-kind MoU with NTPC, GE Gas Power will evaluate the possible modifications in the gas turbine unit and auxiliaries required for blending H2 with natural gas. Thereafter, a pilot project for 5 per cent co-firing of hydrogen may be implemented at the Kawas gas power plant in a safe environment based on the feasibility report. NTPC will provide H2 required for the project.