RAM NAIK URGES SCIENTISTS TO DRAW
UP ACTION PLAN TO HARNESS HYDROGEN ENERGY BY 2010
Shri Ram Naik, Minister
of Petroleum & Natural Gas has called upon the Scientist community
representing research institutes, industries, academies to formulate
action plan so that energy source from hydrogen is used in the
country by the year 2010. Shri Naik said this while he was delivering
the inaugural address at the Workshop on Hydrogen Energy organised
by Indian Oil Corporation Limited, here today. The Minister said
that research and development work in this direction should be
intensified and the availability of finances should not be a handicap.
Shri Naik dedicated the present decade for R&D to facilitate
production, storage, distribution and utilisation of hydrocarbon
as an alternative fuel. He assured that the Government would provide
all support in this direction.
Shri Naik pointed
out that a huge sum of money is being spent in producing cleaner
hydrocarbon fuels. So far Rs. 10,000 crore has already been spent
in refineries and another Rs. 30,000 crore planned for investment
to produce cleaner fuels by 2010. He emphasised that a breakthrough
in hydrogen would provide freedom from pollution as hydrogen is
a clean source of fuel. Based on India’s experience in attaining
leadership in Information Technology solution, the country should
also endeavour similar feat in the development of hydrogen technology.
This would also provide a solution to the heavy import dependence
of the country as during 2002-03 India imported 69% of its crude
oil requirement (115 million tonnes at a cost of Rs. 84,000 crore).
Speaking on the occasion
Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural
Gas said that most of the developed countries like the United
States, European Union countries, Japan, Australia, Canada and
U.K. have committed program to develop hydrogen infrastructure,
fuel cell and hybrid vehicle technology. She added that a strong
hydrogen energy group at the Banaras Hindu University has already
worked on storage of hydrogen and also demonstrated its utilisation
in motor-bikes. Another group at Chennai is exploring biological
production of hydrogen which could be cost-effective. She called
upon the scientists to make techno-economic breakthroughs to ensure
viability of hydrogen energy as against conventional fuels.
