Source: DD News
Context: Union Minister inaugurated India’s first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port, Tamil Nadu, making it the first port in the country to produce green hydrogen.
About India’s first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port:
India’s First Port-Based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project
- What it is?
- A pilot facility producing green hydrogen at VOC Port, Tuticorin.
- Capacity: 10 Nm³ per hour, set up at a cost of ₹3.87 crore.
- Under Scheme:
- Part of India’s clean energy transition and Coastal Green Shipping Corridor project (Kandla–Tuticorin).
- Aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047 mission and Sagarmala programme.
- Aim:
- To promote green shipping, sustainability, and self-reliance in energy.
- Reduce reliance on fossil fuels in port operations.
- Make VOC Port a hub for green bunkering and refuelling in South India.
- Features:
- Will power streetlights and EV charging stations in the port colony.
- Linked with proposed Green Methanol Bunkering and Refuelling Facility (₹35.34 crore, 750 m³ capacity).
About V.O. Chidambaranar Port:
- What it is?
- One of India’s 13 major ports, a leading maritime hub for South India.
- Located in: Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
- History:
- Formerly known as Tuticorin Port, renamed in honour of freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar (the “Kappalottiya Tamizhan”) in 2011.
- Plays a key role in regional trade, coal handling, and container movement.
- Has witnessed significant expansion under Sagarmala, with investments of over ₹16,000 crore in modernisation.
