Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced amendments to the tender provisions for empaneling vendors under Component B of the PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) program. Under component B, the target is to install 1.75 million standalone solar-powered agriculture pumps of individual capacity up to 7.5 HP. As per the new amendments, the rates discovered in the centralized tender will serve as a ceiling for any bids called by the state implementing agencies (SIAs). SIAs can implement their prices only in cases where prices have not been discovered in the centralized tender for that state, or there are not enough vendors through centralized tendering, or these vendors cannot complete timely installation. If the prices of the pumps of these capacities are discovered in the neighboring states or union territories, the same can serve as the ceiling price. Empaneled vendors who do not complete the installation of the pumps will be blacklisted for five years.

Trident Group, a textiles and paper conglomerate, announced that it has completed installing an 8.87 MW solar power project at Budhni, Madhya Pradesh. The project was commissioned in two phases – a 5.48 MW solar power project (Phase I) and a 3.39 MW solar power project (Phase II), for captive use. The power generated from the project would be consumed by manufacturing facilities located at Budhni, resulting in considerable savings for the company. The group aims to use renewable and clean energy to reduce carbon emissions.

ArcelorMittal, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, BHP, and Mitsubishi Development will collaborate on a multi-year trial of carbon capture technology with ArcelorMittal. The trial involves ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Ghent, Belgium, as well as another unspecified site in North America, and aims to identify means of enhancing the feasibility of carbon capture utilization and/or storage (CCUS) technologies in the global steelmaking industry. Currently, there are no full-scale operational CCUS facilities in blast furnace steelmaking operations, with only a limited number of small-capacity carbon capture or utilization pilots underway or in the planning phases globally. However, later this year, ArcelorMittal Gent will commission its Steelanol project, a scale demonstration plant that will capture carbon-rich process gases from the blast furnace and convert them into ethanol.

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), in line with the company’s ESG+ framework, has installed 224 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 92 properties. These EV charging points, in collaboration with Tata Power, are present across various Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger, and amã Stays & Trails properties across the country. The move is aligned with IHCL’s commitment to cater to the evolving needs of its customers by reducing their carbon footprint in travel. These chargers can be accessed by guests staying at various IHCL properties.

Hydrogen systems supplier Hexagon Purus and green hydrogen producer Lhyfe entered into commercial cooperation to deliver Hexagon Purus’ type 4 hydrogen distribution systems. As a result, Lhyfe can deliver a maximum of 19 tons of green hydrogen per trip, corresponding to the consumption of 650 transit buses. Type 4 hydrogen distribution system is a composite high-pressure cylinder technology used for bulk distribution of compressed hydrogen. Hexagon Purus’ products are used in various applications, including light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles, buses, ground storage, distribution, refueling, maritime, rail, and aerospace. Lhyfe has a commercial pipeline representing a total production capacity of 9.8 GW by 2030.