Officials from the Indian state of Odisha have met to assess the progress of the country’s Green Hydrogen Mobility Project, as well as raise any key operational, financial and regulatory issues.
During the meeting, chaired by additional chief secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, officials reviewed progress made since the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), NTPC and GRIDCO. As part of the agreement, CRUT will oversee bus operations and public transport services, NTPC will develop and operate the hydrogen infrastructure, and GRIDCO will facilitate power supply and subsidies.
An update from the meeting was CRUT raising issues regarding operational expenditure, kilometre commitments, revenue-sharing mechanisms and risk allocation. Detailed discussions were then held on route planning, operational modalities, financial viability, risk allocation and institutional responsibilities.
The project will establish a green hydrogen production and refuelling facility at CRUT’s Pokhariput depot in Bhubaneswar, and develop three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, establishing the state’s first green hydrogen ecosystem for urban mobility; marking a move towards clean and sustainable urban transportation for the state. It aims to generate around 260 kilograms of green hydrogen per day and operate hydrogen fuel cell buses capable of working for up to 600 kilometres per day, with another goal of reducing CO2 tailpipe emissions by nearly 900 tonnes annually.
Progress Made on India’s Green Hydrogen Mobility Project
