The Odisha government has taken the first step towards launching the Green Hydrogen Mobility Project in the state.
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) under the Housing and Urban Development Department of the Odisha Government, Grid Corporation of Odisha Limited (GRIDCO) and NTPC Limited.
In the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, State Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr Krushna Chandra Mohapatra, CRUT Managing Director N. Thirumala Naik, NTPC CGM D. M.R. Panda and GRIDCO Managing Director Trilochan Panda signed the key agreements.
Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, of Housing and Urban Development, gave detailed information about the project while Principal Secretary of Energy Dept Vishal K. Dev, was present.
The MoU, which will be implemented for the next five years, has outlined the key roles and responsibilities of the three entities involved. While CRUT has been given the responsibility of maintaining the hydrogen-powered buses, NTPC will focus on hydrogen production and GRIDCO will ensure the supply of renewable energy.
Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India has issued project guidelines for implementation of pilot projects for the use of green hydrogen in the transport sector.
The Automotive Research Association of India (ARIA) has invested Rs 19.5 crore in this pilot project. After the successful implementation of the project, the state will reduce the use of diesel buses and introduce more green hydrogen buses in the coming days. This will help reduce carbon emissions and improve public transport.
Three hydrogen-powered buses will be deployed by NTPC. These buses have been designed to replace diesel buses by providing a sustainable alternative to the public. One kilogram of hydrogen will provide a mileage of 12 km per bus. Each bus has 42 seats for passengers and has a range of up to 600 km on 58 kg of fuel.
NTPC will set up a hydrogen production plant at its Gadakana depot in CRUT. NTPC will be able to generate hydrogen gas by utilizing the existing ETP and STP plants at the CRUT depot.
The Energy Department has requested the General Administration and Public Grievances Department to allot 2 acres of land to NTPC. GRIDCO will supply 2 MW of electricity to the nearby substation. This hydrogen bus will go a long way in bringing about a permanent solution to the state’s climate change.
