NTPC Issues Global EOI For Hydrogen Fuel Bus and Car project

NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer and a central PSU under the Ministry of Power has invited Global Expression of Interest (EoI) to provide 10 Hydrogen Fuel Cell (FC) based electric buses and an equal number of Hydrogen Fuel Cell based electric cars in Leh and Delhi.

The EoI has been issued by NTPC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited. The move to procure Hydrogen Fuel Cell-based vehicles is first of its kind project in the country, wherein a complete solution from green energy to the fuel cell vehicle would be developed.

The initiative, which has been undertaken with the support of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), will also harness renewable energy for the generation of hydrogen and develop it’s storage and dispensation facilities as part of pilot projects at Leh and Delhi. The move to launch hydrogen-powered vehicles aims at decarbonizing the mobility segment. The PSU has earlier been involved with various technology initiatives to provide complete e-mobility solutions for public transport including the creation of public charging infrastructure and providing electric buses to State/City Transport Undertakings. In this regard, 90 public charging stations in various cities and battery charging and swapping stations at Faridabad for e-3-wheelers have already been commissioned. Similarly, the e-Bus solution for Andaman & Nicobar Administration is under implementation.

The last date for bid submissions is 15th May 2020, which is also the bid opening date.

While the decision to start with Delhi is understandable, considering the horrific pollution situation in the region with the highest concentration of vehicles, the government, through MNRE, has also been focused on decarbonising the Ladakh region, starting with Leh, for some time now. In the pipeline are some huge plans for solar power generation in the region, besides this assault on the transportation segment now. With the region a union territory now, getting central undertakings like NTPC to execute projects is also presumably easier now.