The plant will produce 1.1 million tonnes of ammonia or 220,000 tonnes of H2, annually in three phases
ReNew Power, one of India's largest renewable-energy developers, has proposed to build a 2GW green hydrogen and ammonia project in the southwestern state of Kerala. The plant will be built in three phases with a combined production capacity of 1.1 million tonnes of ammonia (NH3) or 220,000 tonnes of H2 annually. The first phase will produce 100,000 tonnes of NH3 a year. The following two phases will add a capacity of 500,000 tonnes each.
If a final investment decision is made this year, the plant could start producing its first volumes of ammonia as early as 2027. The facility will cost Rs 264 billion ($3.18 billion), excluding the 5–6 GW of renewables needed to power the 2 GW electrolyser. The plant is set to be sited near the state-owned Vizhinjam deep water port in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, which is scheduled to complete construction on its first phase in May after years of delay.
Kerala's state government allocated two billion rupees ($24 million) in its budget last February to support the development of two hydrogen hubs in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The Indian federal government also announced this month that it would hold an annual auction to subsidise 550,000 tonnes of green ammonia production.
ReNew Power had applied for subsidies in India's first national green hydrogen auction but failed to secure any funds when the winners were announced a few weeks ago. Japanese conglomerate Itochu has also agreed to import 400,000 tonnes of green hydrogen-based ammonia annually from India.