Odisha signs pact to operate hydrogen-powered bus

Bhubaneswar: In a move towards launching green hydrogen mobility project in Odisha, a tripar-tite agreement was signed between three State-owned agencies. 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 Ur-ban Development Minister K C Mohapatra.

The agreement, to be implemented over the next five years, has outlined the key roles and re-sponsibilities 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.

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 Padhee. 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 kg 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. The NTPC will set up a hydrogen production plant at the CRUT depot located at Gadakan in Bhubaneswar. The NTPC will be able to generate hydrogen gas by utilising the existing ETP and STP plants at CRUT depot.

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