Bhubaneswar: State govt on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), Grid Corporation of Odisha Limited (GRIDCO), and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to launch hydrogen-powered buses in Bhubaneswar.
The five-year agreement brings together CRUT, GRIDCO, and NTPC in a collaborative effort to revolutionise public transportation. Under the agreement, CRUT will operate the hydrogen buses, NTPC will handle hydrogen production, and GRIDCO will ensure a renewable energy supply.
The project, backed by a Rs 19.5 crore investment from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), aligns with the National Green Hydrogen Mission‘s guidelines for pilot projects in the transportation sector. NTPC will introduce three state-of-the-art hydrogen buses, each capable of travelling up to 600 kilometres on 58 kg of fuel while accommodating 42 passengers.
“This initiative marks a crucial step towards reducing our carbon footprint and modernising public transport,” said deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who witnessed the signing ceremony alongside housing and urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra.
The project includes establishing a hydrogen production facility at CRUT’s depot, utilising existing plants. GRIDCO will supply 2 MW of electricity to support the operation. The energy department has requested 2 acres of land for NTPC’s production facility.
Housing and urban development department principal secretary Usha Padhee provided detailed insights into the project during the ceremony, which was also attended by energy department principal secretary Vishal Dev.
“The successful implementation of this project is expected to pave the way for broader adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles in Odisha’s public transportation system, significantly contributing to the state’s environmental sustainability goals,” reads a govt statement.