Reliance Industries Ltd, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, aims to become one of the world's largest producers of blue hydrogen, producing the zero-emission fuel for half the global average cost.

Reliance Industries said in a presentation outlining the separation plan that a Rs 30,000 crore plant that now transforms petroleum coke into synthesis gas will be repurposed to produce blue hydrogen for $1.2-1.5 per kilogramme.

Hydrogen is the cleanest form of fuel currently available. Hydrogen can be grey, blue, or green depending on how it is made.The most dominant element of hydrogen is grey hydrogen, which is made from natural gas, or methane, through a process known as'steam reforming.'

When the carbon produced by steam reforming is caught and stored, hydrogen is labelled blue. Because the emissions are not diffused in the atmosphere, blue hydrogen is sometimes referred to as carbon neutral.

In the meanwhile, Reliance Industries, which has set a net-zero carbon emission target for its operations by 2035, is exploring at blue hydrogen to reduce the cost of green hydrogen. "In the interim, until the cost of green hydrogen falls, RIL can be the first to develop a hydrogen ecosystem in India with minimal incremental expenditure," Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) stated in its presentation.

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