Gensol Engineering Ltd and Matrix Gas & Renewables Ltd join hands for India's first steel production facility to be powered by Green Hydrogen under the recently sanctioned landmark project of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. This will mark an important step on the path towards making India one of the world's largest economies to decarbonise industries.

Gensol Engineering and Matrix Gas & Renewables have bagged the order for India's largest green steel facility. The consortium has secured funds to the tune of INR 321 crores for the project, with half of this coming in the form of support from the Government of India. Its endorsement speaks of the overall backing by the country for more benign industrial practices. Inclusion of green hydrogen in prime segments forms an endeavor that is predominantly in consonance with the objectives of the Ministry of Steel and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Using Direct Reduced Iron technology, the plant would utilize a vertically built shaft furnace to convert iron ore into sponge iron. In contrast to the traditional processes dependent on coal or natural gas, this plant would run entirely on Green Hydrogen; thus carbon dioxide would not be emitted from the process. This changes a color of area which is known mainly for carbon footprint.

This $1-billion facility, capable of producing 50 tons of steel per day, is part of a vision to create multiple Green Steel facilities across India- centered on small and medium-sized steel producers in states like Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It's one of three pilot projects under the National Green Hydrogen Mission that encourages the development of green hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels in historically carbon-intensive sectors.

The consortium will collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar and Sweden's Metsol AB to handle the design, engineering, procurement, and commissioning of the plant. It is also aimed at achieving global standards for clean energy and placing this facility as a blueprint for future green steel plants.

This facility really is a testament of our commitment to green hydrogen and sustainability, Chirag Kotecha, Whole-time Director at Matrix Gas & Renewables Ltd said. "And for that reason, we are proud to lead the project which promises India's steel sector is about to witness its biggest change as yet".

Given that the steel sector is among those industries that significantly contribute to carbon emissions globally, this plant will be proof of long-term success in reducing the carbon footprints that the sector has left behind. The project can stand as an example of future green steel plants not only in the country but across the world.