Ohmium co-founder and CEO Arne Ballantine (4th from left) and his colleagues with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development, GoK, M. B. Patil, KREDL Chairman & MLA T. D. Rajegowda, and Doddaballapura MLA Dheeraj Muniraj, at the launch of the company’s Gigafactory at Doddaballapura in Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Karnataka has prioritised the production of clean energy, which is crucial for achieving sustainable development, said M.B. Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries here on Friday.
He was speaking at the launch of the 14,000 sq m green hydrogen electrolyser gigafactory, set up near Doddaballapur by the American-based Ohmium company. Earlier, Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Renewable Energy, flagged off the unit.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Minister M.B. Patil at the launch of the green hydrogen electrolyser gigafactory near Doddaballapur on Friday.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Mr. Patil noted that the current capacity of 500 megawatts (1/2 gigawatt) would gradually be increased to 2,000 megawatts (2 gigawatts) in a phased manner, creating employment opportunities.
According to the Minister, the unit facilitates the breaking of water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable energy, enabling the production of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen, which is the pollution-free fuel of the future, is industry-agnostic and will facilitate India’s transition to clean energy.
“With zero carbon footprint, green hydrogen can be utilised for fertilizer production, refinery processing, steel production, conventional vehicle transportation with methanol blending, and direct hydrogen transportation in fuel-cell-based vehicles. Green hydrogen can also be stored and transported,” he explained.
Mr. Patil mentioned that Karnataka has been a premier destination for industries, backed by industry-friendly policies and home to pioneering research centers from across the world. The State has been playing an important role in taking the country towards achieving the aim of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
He also stated that the government has identified EV, renewable energy, and clean energy as priorities, which has boosted activities in these sectors.
Earlier, Mr. Joshi said that India has prioritised green hydrogen production and emerged as its top producer. Even leading companies such as Tata Group and NTPC have realised its importance, he added.
