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The Minister of State for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Mr Vilas Muttemwar (right), with the Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Chairman, PCRA, Mr M.S. Srinivasan (extreme left), at the inauguration of Oil & Gas Conservation Fortnight 2006 in the Capital on Monday. - Ramesh Sharma

New Delhi , Jan. 16

THE Government said on Monday that the National Hydrogen Energy Road Map needed to be implemented in all its dimensions.

The Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Mr Vilas Muttemwar, said that following the preparation of the Road Map, the country had joined a select group of advanced countries, including the US, Canada, China and Germany, which have such road maps in place. Mr Muttemwar was giving an inaugural address at the third meeting of National Hydrogen Energy Board here. He said the Road Map reflected the needs and priorities of the country and provided the direction for a transition to the new hydrogen energy economy in the most cost-effective and eco-friendly manner.

The Minister said the move would also enable the country to achieve sustainable energy security for all over the next two to three decades. The `Road Map' was prepared by a Steering Committee under Mr Ratan Tata. The National Hydrogen Board has proposed the setting up of a Steering Committee under Mr R. A. Mashelkar, Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, to implement the Road Map. The Road Map has identified two major initiatives, namely the Green Initiative for Future Transport (GIFT) and Green Initiative for Power Generation (GIP).

GIFT aims at developing and demonstrating a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine and fuel cell-based vehicles through different phases of development. GIP envisages developing and demonstrating a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine and a fuel-cell-based decentralised power generating system of a 1,000 MW aggregate capacity by 2020.

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