Made in the UK Mondays: Ceres Power

Meet the clean energy business helping India reach a net zero future.

Ceres Power has sparked interest from some of the biggest names in the energy space, thanks to pioneering advanced technologies in green hydrogen.

That includes forming a partnership with industry heavy-weight Shell and multinational conglomerate Thermax for projects in India.

Ceres Power Regional Business Head - India Saad Ashraf says India is increasingly becoming one of the most important markets for hydrogen.

We spoke to Saad to find out more about Ceres’s recent wins in the Indian market:

1) What key factors influenced your business to consider the India market?

India is among the most progressive markets for green hydrogen production and adoption for decarbonisation of its hard to abate sectors. India aims to produce 5 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. 

With already existing and ever-growing renewable energy infrastructure, India is making big investments in creating a local value chain for its solar panel, wind turbine and energy storage systems sectors.

India’s national Green Hydrogen Mission with US$2.3 billion budget is testament to its seriousness in enabling green hydrogen value chain development within India, making it one of the most dynamic and increasingly important markets for green hydrogen, green steel and green ammonia.

2) Tell us more about your partnership with Shell, how did it come about?

Ceres and Shell formed a relationship in 2022. Ceres was seeking an industrial partner to host its 1MW first-of-a-kind solid oxide electrolysis system (SOEC) and Shell was seeking to evaluate emerging electrolyser technologies as part of its green hydrogen technology programme.

Shell made the decision to site the demonstrator in India because of the available facilities and technical competencies at that facility. This R&D facility also has a hydrogen off-take requirement, which was a factor in choosing the location.

3) How did you also strike a deal with Thermax?

Ceres and Thermax formalised a partnership for green hydrogen production with large-scale Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOEC) manufacturing in India on 12 September 2024.

Exploratory discussions began in 2023 and synergies between the two companies were swiftly identified.

In parallel, DBT organised a green hydrogen India roadshow in December 2023 which was highly valuable for UK companies.

The two companies entered a non-exclusive, global licence agreement for Thermax to manufacture, sell and service stack array modules (SAM) based on Ceres’ advanced solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) technology.

Thermax will also develop, commercialise and sell SAM balance of modules (SBM) and multi-megawatt SOEC electrolyser modules.

The partnership marks a significant step towards accelerating the deployment of SOEC technology in India and worldwide that will enable cost-effective green hydrogen production.

4) Why should other UK businesses consider India as a market and expanding to other international markets more broadly?

In the context of the hydrogen economy, India is a great platform nation to deploy and scale industrial technology of this nature. 

India has a clear national hydrogen strategy with incentive programmes, alongside a world-leading renewable energy scale-up programme. 

It also has a huge demand for clean hydrogen to decarbonise their steel, ammonia and other hard to abate industries.

Additionally, India has some of the most experienced process industry engineers to support complex large-scale programmes, as well as a low manufacturing cost base to export products.

5) What's your top tip for any other UK energy providers when exploring new markets?

Start where there is largest demand, where there are local capabilities and there is a strong national agenda.

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