Hydrogen Storage and Transport Infrastructure

IH2A recommends a uniform set of Bharat H2 standards for hydrogen storage, transport, and dispensation, that are globally harmonized and inter-operable across different use-cases and sectors.

Building storage materials, capacity and handling skills for green hydrogen are key requirement to build H2-ready infrastructure and a key enabler for meeting the objectives of the NGHM. A uniform set of technical standards and safety certifications for industrial clusters and commercial scale use-cases, for high-pressure and liquified hydrogen storage and transport is an important pre-requisite for building a domestic value chain. XX-bar storage tanks (LH2, CGH2), trailers, evacuation pipelines and HRS networks will first have to be build - as essential H2 infrastructure to bring H2 and its derivatives, in different forms, to the end customer. Without this storage capacity and infrastructure, India will be unable to build the hydrogen economy in the country. Development of composite materials for H2 tanks and pipelines presents a strong domestic manufacturing opportunity.

Safety Certification for Projects and Standardization will be key requirements at project design and FEED stage. Considering that most H2 projects will be green-field projects, India's capacity for safety audits and certification will have to be expanded significantly, at a regulatory and technical level, both on the government and industry side. This calls for specialist expertise which can be a unique differentiator for India, given India's existing strength in engineering design.

Linking large-scale projects and hubs, with connective infrastructure - whether virtual pipelines or actual H2 pipelines should be considered in a future state of the Indian hydrogen economy. These are expensive but critical components of a future H2 infrastructure and market.