EU-ready: Hygenco’s Indian green ammonia pre-certified under RFNBO rules

India’s Hygenco Green Energies has secured pre-certification from Bureau Veritas for its green hydrogen-based ammonia for potential export to the EU.

The renewable fuel of non-biological origin (RFNBO) pre-certification under the CertifHy scheme applies to Hygenco’s planned 1.1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) green ammonia plant at Tata Steel’s Special Economic Zone Industrial Park in Odisha.

Under the EU’s RFNBO rules, for green hydrogen to be classed as ‘renewable’, both domestic European producers and prospective overseas exports must comply with criteria such as additionality, hourly matching and geographical correlation.

Read more:The impact of Europe’s renewable hydrogen complexity

In December, the CertiHy scheme was officially recognised by the European Commission to issue RFNBO certification.

Amit Ghosh, Senior Vice-President at Bureau Veritas South Asia Region, said the company was confident the process was the “most effective approach to ensure the practical implementation of these regulations.”

Hygenco co-founder and CEO, Amit Bansal, stressed that the pre-certification aligned with the firm’s ambitions to produce low-cost, sustainable green ammonia for customers worldwide.

The Odisha plant is expected to initially begin producing 600 tonnes of ammonia per day by 2027, before doubling in capacity at a later date.

In February 2024, the project received approval from the High-Level Clearance Authority, with Hygenco saying it had signed several binding, long-term offtake agreements with Indian industrial players.

The company also launched a 1.1GW renewable energy tender to support the plant. It looks to secure 625MW of solar and 500MW of wind power.