Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has scrapped its tender for establishing the first green hydrogen plant at the Panipat Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in Haryana due to a lack of interest and allegations of biased tender norms favoring a joint venture involving the state-run oil marketing company.
The Independent Green Hydrogen Producers Association, representing private sector players, took legal action against the tender process. In response, IOCL issued a corrigendum last week, officially canceling the tender for the 10-kilo tonne per annum green hydrogen project.
IOCL’s tender received only one bid in December from GH4India Pvt Ltd, a joint venture involving Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and ReNew, prompting concerns about conflicts of interest in the bidding process. This led to legal challenges by other potential bidders.
Initially, IOCL had planned two green hydrogen plants, with capacities of 5 KTA in Mathura and 2 KTA in Panipat, announced in 2021. However, plans for the Mathura plant were abandoned in 2023, with IOCL citing Panipat as a more viable location. Subsequently, IOCL began the process to establish its first green hydrogen generation plant in Panipat in August last year, with a capacity of 10,000 kilo tonne per annum, expected to be the largest in the country.
