India News | Odisha Signs Agreement to Operate Hydrogen-powered Buses

Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 (PTI) In a move towards launching green hydrogen mobility project in Odisha, a tripartite agreement was signed between three state-owned agencies, an official said on Tuesday.

The agreement was signed on Monday by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) managing director Tirumala Nayak, Grid Corporation of Odisha Limited (GRIDCO) managing director Trilochan Panda and NTPC CGM M R Panda in the presence of Odisha Deputy Chief Minister K V Singhdeo and Housing and Urban Development minister K C Mohapatra, the official said.

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The agreement to be implemented over 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 hydrogen-powered buses, NTPC will focus on hydrogen production and GRIDCO will ensure the supply of renewable energy, the official said.

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This hydrogen powered bus will go a long way in bringing about a permanent solution to the state's climate change, said Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development department, Usha Padhi.

Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 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 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 in reducing carbon emissions and improving public transport, an official note said.

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 kilogramme 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 the CRUT depot located at Gadakan in Bhubaneswar. NTPC will be able to generate hydrogen gas by utilizing the existing ETP and STP plants at CRUT depot.

The Energy department has requested the General Administration and Public Grievances department to allot two acres of land to NTPC. GRIDCO will supply 2 MW of electricity from the nearby substation.

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