What Happened
- Honeywell, the US-based technology and manufacturing conglomerate, announced plans to accelerate India's energy transition — specifically toward green hydrogen production and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- Key partnerships: Honeywell and NTPC Green Energy signed an MoU to explore SAF production using Honeywell's eFining™ technology and green hydrogen from NTPC's facilities
- A second MoU between Honeywell and AM Green (a Hyderabad-based green energy company) focuses on SAF from ethanol and green methanol derived from captured CO2, plus carbon capture technology
- The collaboration aligns with India's National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework for SAF adoption in aviation
- NTPC Green Energy aims to complete its first green hydrogen hub by 2027 and a second hub by 2032, with Honeywell's eFining™ providing the key process technology
Static Topic Bridges
Green Hydrogen — Production, Technology, and India's Mission
Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water through electrolysis powered by renewable energy (solar or wind), resulting in zero carbon emissions (unlike grey hydrogen from natural gas or blue hydrogen with carbon capture). India's National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), launched in January 2023 with a budget of ₹19,744 crore, targets producing 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen annually by 2030.
- NGHM budget: ₹19,744 crore (2023–2030); nodal ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
- Production target: 5 MMT/year by 2030; current production: negligible at commercial scale
- Electrolyser capacity target: 60–100 GW by 2030
- SIGHT scheme (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition): Provides incentives for electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production
- NTPC Green Energy: Subsidiary of NTPC Ltd; mandated to develop 60 GW renewable energy by 2032
- Honeywell's eFining™: Technology that converts renewable feedstocks (green hydrogen + CO2) into SAF and other clean fuels
Connection to this news: Honeywell's partnership with NTPC Green Energy directly plugs into India's NGHM infrastructure build-out — using NTPC's planned green hydrogen hubs (2027, 2032) as the production base for SAF, creating a vertically integrated clean fuel chain.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) — Decarbonising Aviation
SAF is a low-carbon alternative to conventional jet fuel (Jet A-1), derived from non-fossil feedstocks including agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, captured CO2, green hydrogen, and ethanol. SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional fuel and can be blended with conventional fuel at up to 50% without requiring aircraft modifications (drop-in fuel).
- ICAO's SAF target: 10% SAF blend in global aviation by 2030; net-zero aviation by 2050
- India's aviation growth: World's third-largest domestic aviation market; expected to become second-largest by 2040
- India's SAF policy: DGCA and MoCA working on SAF blending mandate framework; ICAO CORSIA programme requires offsetting/reduction
- SAF production pathways: HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids), Power-to-Liquid (using green H2 + CO2), ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet using ethanol/methanol)
- AM Green: Hyderabad-based green energy company; developing large-scale green ammonia, green methanol, and SAF projects
- Honeywell eFining™: Converts green methanol or ethanol via hydroprocessing into jet fuel-grade SAF
Connection to this news: India's rapidly growing aviation sector creates both a large potential market for SAF and a significant decarbonisation challenge. Honeywell's partnerships establish the technology pathway (eFining™), supply chain (NTPC/AM Green), and process economics (feasibility studies) needed to make commercial SAF production viable in India.
Carbon Capture and India's Climate Commitments
Carbon capture refers to technologies that capture CO2 from industrial processes or directly from the atmosphere, preventing its release into the atmosphere. AM Green's collaboration with Honeywell on carbon capture specifically targets CO2 from NTPC's power plants as a feedstock for SAF production — a circular carbon economy model. India's NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) under the Paris Agreement commits to achieving 50% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
- India's NDC targets: 50% non-fossil power capacity by 2030; net-zero by 2070
- India's current renewable capacity: ~200 GW (2024); target 500 GW by 2030
- NTPC: India's largest power utility; transitioning from coal-heavy portfolio; owns NTPC Green Energy
- Honeywell-AM Green scope: Techno-economic feasibility of SAF from ethanol, green methanol from CO2 + green H2
- Green methanol: Produced by combining captured CO2 with green hydrogen; can be converted to SAF via eFining™
- International Solar Alliance (ISA): India co-founded (2015); 100+ member countries; promotes solar for green hydrogen production
Connection to this news: The Honeywell-AM Green carbon capture partnership for SAF production represents the kind of circular carbon model that India needs to simultaneously decarbonise both energy production (by using power plant CO2) and aviation (by converting that CO2 into SAF) — directly advancing India's Paris Agreement commitments.
Key Facts & Data
- Partners: Honeywell + NTPC Green Energy (SAF from green H2); Honeywell + AM Green (SAF + carbon capture)
- Honeywell technology: eFining™ — converts green hydrogen + CO2 or ethanol/methanol into SAF
- NTPC Green first green hydrogen hub: Target 2027
- NTPC Green second green hydrogen hub: Target 2032
- National Green Hydrogen Mission budget: ₹19,744 crore (2023–2030)
- Green hydrogen production target: 5 MMT/year by 2030
- Electrolyser capacity target: 60–100 GW by 2030
- ICAO SAF target: 10% blend by 2030; aviation net-zero by 2050
- SAF emission reduction vs conventional jet fuel: Up to 80% lifecycle reduction
- India aviation market: World's 3rd largest domestic market (targeting 2nd by 2040)
- India's NDC: 50% non-fossil power by 2030; net-zero by 2070