Energy transition company Jakson Green has successfully produced methanol from captured carbon dioxide (CO2) in a project with NTPC at the Vindhyachal Thermal Power Plant in Madhya Pradesh.
Developed by NETRA – NTPC’s research and development division – the project captures CO2 directly from flue gas emissions and converts it into methanol, which can be used in power generation and transportation.
Bikesh Ogra, CEO of Jakson Green, commented, “We are incredibly proud to partner with NTPC in bringing this transformative project to life. This project is particularly special for us, as it marks the first instance of producing methanol from captured carbon, and it will also stand as the inaugural commissioned project in the Indian green molecule space.”
“This achievement underscores Jakson Green’s commitment to advancing sustainable innovations in the new energy sector.”
Methanol, a simple alcohol, is used as a fuel and an industrial chemical. It can power vehicles, serve as a base for producing plastics, paints, and building materials and is increasingly explored as a cleaner energy source in power generation.
Jakson Green took on the engineering, procurement and construction of the project which was delivered as a turnkey project. E.K.S. Sreekumar, Head of Strategy at Jakson Green, said, “As the EPC contractor, we are honoured to have led the engineering, procurement, and construction of this landmark project on a turnkey basis in partnership with NTPC & their technology provider.
“This first-of-its-kind endeavour has provided invaluable learning experiences for our team, empowering us to tackle future challenges and deliver innovative solutions in such upcoming projects.”
This project is the first in India to use captured CO2 to produce methanol, a process that highlights the potential of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) technology in reducing industrial emissions.
Jakson Green is working on six other projects in this area, including India’s first green hydrogen refuelling station for urban mobility and a CO2-to-4G ethanol plant.
India’s low-carbon energy drive
India is accelerating its focus on CCU technologies as part of its commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2070. Similar projects across the country are paving the way for sustainable energy solutions and emissions reduction.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is developing a pilot CCU project at its refinery in Gujarat, targeting the capture of around 20,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. IOC aims to scale this up to 500,000 tonnes per year, making it one of the country’s largest CCU initiatives.
This project is part of IOC’s broader decarbonisation strategy, with investment costs for this and other CCU and hydrogen production projects reaching approximately INR 2 lakh crore ($24 billion) by 2030.
Another project has seen Tata Steel launch a CO2 capture project at its Jamshedpur plant, aiming to capture around five tonnes of CO2 per day from blast furnace gas. The captured CO2 is then used to produce clean energy, with Tata Steel exploring expanded applications for the technology to meet internal energy demands and potentially supply cleaner energy to nearby facilities.
Through its National Hydrogen Mission, India hopes to reduce emissions by up to one billion tonnes by 2030 and reach Net Zero by mid-century.
