Govt rolls out Green Hydrogen pilot projects
The government has launched five pilot projects to integrate Green Hydrogen into the transport sector under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM). These projects include 37 hydrogen-powered vehicles, comprising 15 fuel cell-based and 22 internal combustion engine-based buses and trucks, along with nine hydrogen refueling stations.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) issued guidelines for implementing Green Hydrogen in transport and invited proposals for vehicle deployment, route selection, and refueling infrastructure. After evaluation, the projects were awarded to companies including Tata Motors, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), NTPC Ltd, ANERT, Ashok Leyland, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL).
As part of the pilot, the vehicles will operate across ten designated routes covering key transport corridors such as Greater Noida – Delhi – Agra, Bhubaneshwar – Konark – Puri, Ahmedabad – Vadodara – Surat, Sahibabad – Faridabad – Delhi, Pune – Mumbai, Jamshedpur – Kalinga Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram – Kochi, Kochi – Edappally, Jamnagar – Ahmedabad, and NH-16 Visakhapatnam – Bayyavaram. The initiative is designed to assess the safety, technical feasibility, and economic viability of hydrogen-powered transport under real-world operational conditions.
To support these projects, the government has allocated ₹208 crore, with commissioning expected within the next 18 to 24 months. The pilot program aims to facilitate the scaling up of hydrogen-based transportation by demonstrating its efficiency and sustainability while establishing essential infrastructure such as refueling stations. One of the key objectives of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, launched on January 4, 2023, with an outlay of ₹19,744 crore up to FY2029-30, is to position India as a global hub for hydrogen production and utilization, particularly in the transport sector.
