Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will license Nel’s alkaline technology to produce electrolysers in India and “captive purposes globally.”

The undisclosed deal was announced by the Norwegian electrolyser manufacturer on Tuesday, in a note sent to Kallanish. Under the agreement, RIL can use the technology to manufacture its own electrolysers, which can also be sourced by Nel for its own projects.

Nel will continue to serve the Indian market with technology platforms that are not covered by the agreement, such as its PEM electrolyser. Together, the partners aim to collaborate on future performance improvements and cost optimisation.

Such collaboration is expected to improve the competitiveness of the alkaline electrolysis technology, as it will enable standardisation and modularisation, Nel says.

“The signing of this agreement is a great milestone in Nel’s history,” comments Nel’s chief executive Håkon Volldal. “Reliance is an impressive company with enormous ambitions as a global producer of renewable hydrogen, and I am proud that they have selected Nel as their technology partner.”

He adds that being a technology partner of RIL will enable Nel to generate a revenue stream from a rapidly growing market that it would not be able to access on its own.

The Indian conglomerate is building a fully integrated renewable energy ecosystem, from PV panels to green hydrogen, energy storage and power electronics. The $10 billion Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex, is set to be located in Jamnagar, Gujarat. It will house Reliance’s planned electrolyser gigafactory “to manufacture modular electrolysers of the highest efficiency and lowest capital cost.” Details, however, are yet to be announced.

Earlier this year, its subsidiary Reliance Electrolyser Manufacturing bagged INR 4.4 billion ($53.3 million) in incentives for 300 megawatts of electrolyser production capacity. Reliance Green Hydrogen was also one of the winners in India’s green H2 subsidy auction. It will produce 90,000 tonnes/year, with a three-year average incentive of INR 18/kg of H2.

Nel is working to expand its electrolyser manufacturing capacity in Norway, and has announced plans for a gigafactory in the US.