Oriana Power announces electrolyzer facility for green H2, e-fuels in India

Renewable energy firm Oriana Power Limited has announced its plans to build a gigawatt-scale factory to produce alkaline electrolyzers and Balance of Plant (BOP) modules in India. The facility is to be commissioned in two phases, with the first 500 MW (annual capacity) phase electrolyzer manufacturing unit aimed for operations by 2026. 

The company claims that the proposed facility will be a critical step in its efforts to develop green hydrogen and e-fuels including green ammonia, e-methanol, and green methanol in the country. The plant is to be set up in partnership with Splitwaters, a US-based provider of cutting-edge alkaline electrolyzer and BOP equipment.

The collaboration between the two companies was announced last month. It will allow Oriana to utilize state-of-the-art electrolysis technology to ensure highly efficient hydrogen production from renewable energy sources, according to the company.  

The BOP systems will support the electrolyzers by managing critical functions such as water supply, gas separation, and purification, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

"The green hydrogen market faces significant challenges due to high initial capital costs and lengthy execution timelines, but Splitwaters' one stop shop model and modular technology address both these issues effectively," said Anirudh Saraswat, Chief Business Officer of Oriana Power. 

"Our partnership with Splitwaters allows us to deploy their state-of-the-art technology to produce these clean energy carriers at scale and at a significantly lower cost, upto 30 percent lower CAPEX than competing methods", he added. 

Oriana Power, known for its specialized floating solar solutions, and agro photovoltaics in the country, also claims to be working on developing similar green hydrogen and e-fuels projects in the UK and Europe, in partnership with Splitwaters.

"The payoffs from the green hydrogen and e-fuels business will start by next financial year and we expect this business to contribute the significant share of our revenues by FY2027," Saraswat noted. 

The company is yet to reveal the exact location and modalities for its proposed electrolyzer gigafactory.