The Maharashtra Government proposes to release a hydrogen policy for the automobile and energy sectors within a month. The Union government has already announced the National Hydrogen Mission and the gas is seen as the fuel to replace fossil fuels.
State Industry Minister Uday Samant told The Free Press Journal, “A delegation from a US company producing trucks, buses, racing vehicles and boats operated on hydrogen met me recently.”
State to give land to manufacture hydrogen-run vehicles
Samant said the Government will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Union government’s involvement to bring the technology to Maharashtra. But before that it will bring in a hydrogen policy on the lines of the state’s policy for electric vehicles.
The minister said, “The Government will provide land to manufacture hydrogen-based trucks, buses and racing vehicles in Pune. For boats, the Government will give land in the coastal districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri or Sindhudurg.” He said the use of hydrogen as a fuel will help cut the consumption and prices of fossil fuels.
Samant said the Government will give a slew of incentives for the projects. While he did not say more, the incentives are expected to be on the demand and supply sides as proposed in the state’s EV policy. The move is crucial as the Union government has identified 10 states to be key enablers in manufacturing green hydrogen.
States to have Green hydrogen manufacturing zones
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are likely to have green hydrogen or ammonia manufacturing zones or clusters that will help India start its National Green Hydrogen Mission.
According to the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy, these states have been identified on the basis of existing steel and fertiliser industries, refineries, and ports in addition to operational and prospective renewable energy generation capacity.
In August, Union Minister Jitender Singh had launched India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell bus developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and private firm KPIT in Pune.
Karnataka recently received Rs 2.9 lakh crore worth of investment in the green hydrogen and derivatives sector through which the government proposes to build India’s first green hydrogen manufacturing cluster or zone.
Odisha, India’s largest steel manufacturer, proposes to project itself as a green hydrogen export hub. Gujarat has reserved 6,000 sq km of land parcels in Banaskantha and Kutch for hydrogen projects. Tamil Nadu has approved a green hydrogen and ammonia project to be built by the ACME Group at an investment of Rs52,474 crore.
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