Source: ET
Context:
The 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 the Project
- What it is?
- A pilot facility to produce green hydrogen at VOC Port, Tuticorin.
- Capacity: 10 Nm³ per hour.
- Cost: ₹3.87 crore.
- Under: Coastal Green Shipping Corridor Project (Kandla–Tuticorin).
- Aligned with: Viksit Bharat 2047 and the Sagarmala Programme.
Aim
- Promote green shipping and clean energy transition.
- Reduce dependence on fossil fuels in port operations.
- Develop VOC Port as a green bunkering and refuelling hub for South India.
Key Features
- Green hydrogen to power streetlights and EV charging stations in the port colony.
- Linked with a proposed Green Methanol Bunkering & Refuelling Facility (₹35.34 crore, 750 m³ capacity).
About V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port
- One of India’s 13 major ports, located in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast.
- Formerly called Tuticorin Port, renamed in 2011 after freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar, known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan.
- Plays a big role in coal handling, container movement, and South India’s maritime trade.
- Has seen heavy investment (₹16,000+ crore) under the Sagarmala Programme for modernisation.
