Hero Future Energies (HFE) established India's first green hydrogen plant for blending with LPG/PNG in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, in March 2025. Can you provide an update on actual production, blending ratios achieved (with PNG/LPG), and operational learnings?

HFE initiated hydrogen blending at the Tirupati facility with LPG at approximately 8 per cent by volume. Subsequently, the customer transitioned to Piped Natural Gas (PNG), which has a lower molecular weight and more favourable combustion characteristics. This transition enabled HFE to safely increase the hydrogen blending ratio to around 10 per cent.

This capability makes the project globally distinctive and among the first of its kind to demonstrate hydrogen blending with both LPG and PNG under commercial operating conditions. HFE has successfully filed a patent covering this innovative approach and has also presented a research paper at ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International Conference, highlighting the project’s technical significance.

The hydrogen blending ratio is maintained as a fixed percentage; however, the absolute hydrogen flow rate dynamically adjusts in real time based on variations in LPG or PNG flow. A fully automated control architecture continuously monitors fuel flow, with a PLC-based system regulating electrolyzer output to ensure stable, safe, and consistent blending across operating conditions.

What are HFE’s near-term rollout plans for expanding hydrogen production beyond Tirupati plant, in terms of capacity (MW or tonnes/year) and locations across India?

Early-stage hydrogen blending projects such as our Tirupati project are designed to act as market enablers, allowing hard-to-abate sectors to begin decarbonization with minimal disruption to existing fuel and infrastructure systems. This approach is strongly aligned with the Hero Group’s ethos of “First learn, then scale,” ensuring that future deployments are executed right the first time.

Building on the operational, safety, and integration learnings from Tirupati, HFE is now well positioned to progress towards larger, commercial-scale green hydrogen projects. In the near term, the company is actively evaluating multi-megawatt hydrogen production facilities, along with downstream derivatives to address both domestic industrial demand and export opportunities.

The HFE–Ohmium partnership targets 1,000 MW of green hydrogen facilities. What is the current project pipeline timeline for this target and which states/industrial clusters are priorities?

HFE is actively engaged in multiple opportunities that are currently at advanced stages of development, spanning both domestic applications and export-oriented demand for green hydrogen and its derivatives. HFE is also a participant in the MNRE/DST-supported Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster (HVIC), contributing to research and development efforts focused on decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors. The insights and ecosystem partnerships emerging from these initiatives are directly informing the phased rollout of future projects. Specific timelines, capacities, and locations will be disclosed as projects progress toward final investment decisions.

What electrolyser technology will the company primarily deploy as part of its 1 GW green hydrogen facilities, and what factors influence that choice (cost, performance, and local manufacturing)?

Hero Future Energies follows a technology-agnostic approach to electrolyser selection, with choices driven by the specific requirements of each project rather than a single, fixed technology pathway. Alkaline Water Electrolyser (AWE) technology is currently the most mature and widely bankable option, supported by a long operating track record at scale. Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser, on the other hand, offer advantages in terms of efficiency, compact footprint, and dynamic operating capability, making them well suited for certain applications.

Electrolyser selection across HFE’s green hydrogen platform is guided by multiple factors, including long-term reliability and sustainability over plant life, total installed cost, efficiency and degradation performance, local manufacturing and supply chain readiness, as well as standardized balance-of-plant (BoP) design and system modularity. Accordingly, HFE will deploy the most appropriate technology based on the requirements of each project.

For the Tirupati blending project, what safety, control and monitoring technologies have been used to ensure stable blending with PNG and LPG without modifying existing burner designs?

The Tirupati blending project incorporates a multi-layered safety, control, and monitoring architecture to ensure stable and safe hydrogen blending with both LPG and PNG. Key safety and control elements include pressure safety valves (PSVs), pressure control valves (PCVs), pneumatically actuated control valves, and continuous monitoring of gas flow and composition. A dual-logic control system dynamically manages the hydrogen blending ratio depending on whether LPG or PNG is in service, accounting for differences in molecular weight and combustion behaviour. 

Importantly, hydrogen blending has been achieved without any modification to existing burner designs, demonstrating the feasibility of hydrogen retrofitting into current fuel systems. All safety and operability aspects were validated through a rigorous HAZOP study conducted by an independent Tier-I third-party expert consultant, ensuring compliance with the highest safety standards.

How does HFE plan to integrate renewable power, storage, and electrolysers to ensure firm, dispatchable green hydrogen supply, especially for industrial heating and high-temperature use-cases?

HFE’s integration strategy for renewable power, storage, and electrolysers is guided by the applicable regulatory framework and the specific end-use application, whether under domestic banking norms or RFNBO requirements for EU/global customers.

Accordingly, combinations of renewable energy capacity, electricity storage, and hydrogen storage are being carefully modelled to arrive at optimal system configurations that ensure reliable and compliant green hydrogen supply. This approach allows HFE to balance dispatchability, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance while meeting the requirements of industrial heating and high-temperature applications.

How is HFE aligning its hydrogen projects with the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets for electrolyser capacity and production by 2030?

Hero Future Energies is fully aligned with the objectives of India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), which targets 5 million tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production by 2030. Having successfully completed its first project, HFE has crossed the early learning phase and is now positioned to scale up. In line with this direction, HFE will continue to assess and deploy green hydrogen projects, contributing meaningfully to the national production targets under the NGHM framework.

Does the company intend to sell green hydrogen as a standalone product to industrial customers (merchant offtake) or primarily as part of integrated solutions?

The company is focused on supplying green hydrogen as a standalone product to meet domestic industrial demand, while also assessing integrated green hydrogen and derivative solutions—particularly for export-oriented markets

What role do climate/green bonds or international financing play in HFE’s hydrogen Capex plan? Is the company exploring branded hydrogen bonds or similar instruments?

Green hydrogen and derivative projects are inherently capital-intensive, and access to long-term, competitive financing is critical to their successful development. In this context, HFE is actively exploring a broad range of funding options to support its green hydrogen growth plans.

What steps is HFE taking to localize electrolyser supply chains in India (production and assembly), especially in partnership with Ohmium or other technology providers?

Localization of electrolyser supply chains is a strategic priority for India. We fully support efforts being made by various companies to localize assembly and manufacturing, indigenous development of balance-of-plant (BoP) components, and the creation of a robust domestic vendor ecosystem. These efforts are critical to reducing costs, enhancing supply-chain security, and enabling the scalable deployment of green hydrogen projects in India.

Does HFE have a strategy for hydrogen storage, compression, and transport infrastructure in India, either through standalone assets or via third-party logistics partners? 

HFE’s approach to hydrogen storage, compression, and transport is application-specific. Where feasible, on-site consumption is prioritized to minimize transportation requirements. As required, HFE will leverage specialized third-party partners, ensuring safe, efficient, and scalable handling of hydrogen and its derivatives.

How will HFE measure and report the emissions reductions achieved from its hydrogen blending and future green hydrogen plants?

Currently, emissions reductions are quantified using an equivalence-based methodology, which calculates avoided CO? emissions based on the displacement of LPG or PNG using standard emission factors. Going forward, HFE will continuously track emissions performance with and without hydrogen blending. This will enable transparent, consistent, and auditable reporting of emissions reductions across its hydrogen projects.

What is HFE’s 5-year hydrogen roadmap for India in terms of capacity, customers, and technologies? How does this align with planned renewable power scale-up?

Over the next five years, HFE’s hydrogen roadmap in India focuses on scaling up green hydrogen projects. The company aims to serve a range of customers, particularly in hard-to-abate industrial sectors, mobility applications, and export-oriented markets. HFE plans to deploy a portfolio of electrolyser technologies suited to different use cases, while ensuring that hydrogen capacity expansion is fully aligned with the scale-up of its renewable power portfolio, enabling integrated, low-carbon energy solutions.