GAIL and Bloom Energy partner to power India with Clean and Reliable Energy

• Companies sign MoU to deploy innovative fuel cell technology in India using natural gas
• MoU signed in presence of Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C) of P&NG

New Delhi, August 22, 2016: GAIL (India) Limited and Silicon Valley-based Bloom Energy today announced a new partnership to transform India’s energy future through the use of innovative technology and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deploy revolutionary natural gas-based fuel cell technology to generate electricity.

In the presence of Hon’ble Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan; CEO, Niti Aayog, Shri Amitabh Kant and Additional Secretary, MoPNG, Shri A P Sawhney, the MoU was signed by Mr B C Tripathi, C&MD, GAIL (India) Limited and Dr. K R Sridhar, CEO and Founder, Bloom Energy.

The technology is presently being used by over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies that are diversified majors in FMCG, IT, Telecom, Retailing and e-commerce. The state-of-the-art solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology of Bloom Energy Servers convert fuel into electricity using Natural Gas as the base fuel to generate reliable and resilient electricity in a highly efficient non-combustible process that reduces emissions of greenhouse gas and harmful air pollutants, with minimal use of water vis-à-vis the conventional power producing technologies. The Bloom Energy Servers could be installed onsite at any operating premises or building and can be plugged into natural gas pipeline to generate uninterrupted, efficient, noise-less base load power round-the-clock.

GAIL’s subsidiary at Bengaluru is already supplying Natural Gas for energizing a multi-MW Bloom Energy project for a large global technology company at the Technology Park in Bangalore.

The unique tie-up seeks to leverage the strengths of both the organizations. Whilst GAIL brings a portfolio of Natural Gas to ensure reliable and competitively available Natural Gas for Bloom Energy projects along its integrated gas supply networks, Bloom Energy’s power systems run on advanced solid oxide fuel cell technology that are not just acknowledged as the most efficient producers of electricity based on Natural Gas but also combines the advantage of requiring a tenth of the space required for generating equivalent power through other modes. The MoU provides an alignment of a shared vision between GAIL and Bloom Energy and opens up an opportunity for Indian consumers to experience bundled and reliable service by the two leading brands for expanding the distributed power generation systems in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C), Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said “The signing of the MoU between Bloom Energy and GAIL is a significant step towards realizing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of using technology and innovation for fast tracking India’s progress. The biggest beneficiary of this MoU will be urban India because it will significantly decrease pollution caused by back up power generation.”

Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog described the Bloom technology as “pathbreaking” which can bring a “transformational change” in electricity generation.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. B C Tripathi said, “GAIL and Bloom Energy have a tremendous opportunity to transform India’s energy future run on the combination of natural gas – cleanest and dependable fossil fuel and the state-of-the-art power technology of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell by Bloom Energy. This is in a unique positioning in the Indian market to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable power requiring minimal space and time to set-up. A perfect solution to India’s fast growing energy needs.”

Bloom Energy’s CEO and founder, Dr K R Sridhar, said “It is an honour to be here today and mark this occasion; we applaud the Hon’ble Minister of State Mr Dharmendra Pradhan and GAIL for taking a leadership role in driving towards a new energy future for India. This partnership brings us closer to realizing Bloom Energy’s mission to provide access to clean, reliable and for Mr. Kant’s quote.