Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated India’s first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port in Tamil Nadu on Friday, marking a milestone in the country’s clean energy transition.
The facility, set up at a cost of ₹3.87 crore, has a capacity of 10 Nm³ per hour and will generate green hydrogen to power streetlights and an electric vehicle charging station in the port colony. With this, VOC Port has become the first port in the country to produce green hydrogen.
The minister also laid the foundation for a Green Methanol Bunkering and Refuelling Facility with a capacity of 750 m³, to be built at a cost of ₹35.34 crore. The project is aligned with the proposed Coastal Green Shipping Corridor between Kandla and Tuticorin and is expected to make VOC Port a key green bunkering hub in South India.
“The mission of Viksit Bharat at 2047 blends speed, scale, sustainability and self-reliance. The projects launched today will generate thousands of jobs, attract global investments and position Tamil Nadu as a key contributor to India’s economic aspirations. Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we continue to make new strides towards achieving our goal of being among the world’s top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030 and top 5 by 2047,” Sonowal said.
Other projects launched at the event include a 400 KW rooftop solar power plant, which takes the port’s total rooftop solar capacity to 1.04 MW, the highest among Indian ports, and a ₹24.5 crore link conveyor connecting Coal Jetty-I to the port stack yard, which will increase efficiency by 0.72 MMTPA.
Foundation stones were also laid for a 6 MW wind farm, a ₹90 crore multi-cargo berth, a 3.37 km four-lane road, and the Tamil Nadu Maritime Heritage Museum.
Highlighting the growth of Tamil Nadu’s ports, Sonowal said that Chennai, Kamarajar and VOC ports have witnessed transformative development under the Sagarmala programme. Over the past 11 years, 98 projects worth ₹93,715 crore have been taken up, of which 50 have been completed. More than ₹16,000 crore has been invested in these three ports for modernisation and capacity enhancement, he added.
The minister also paid tribute to freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaranar on his 154th birth anniversary and said his Swadeshi spirit continues to inspire the nation.
Memorandums of Understanding were signed at the event between VOC Port and the Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Ltd for rail connectivity to the Outer Harbour project and with NTPC for implementing green mobility initiatives at the port.