NTPC begins trial run of hydrogen bus in Leh, setting up fuelling station

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State-owned power giant NTPC has started a trial run of a hydrogen bus in Leh.

Towards achieving carbon-neutral Ladakh, NTPC is setting up a hydrogen fuelling station, solar plant and providing five fuel cell buses for operation on intracity routes of Leh, a company statement said.

The first hydrogen bus reached Leh on August 17 as part of a three-month-long process of field trials, roadworthiness tests and other statutory procedures.

This will be India's first-ever deployment of hydrogen buses on public roads, it claimed.

The first-of-its-kind Green Hydrogen Mobility Project at 11,562 ft is co-located with a dedicated solar plant of 1.7 MW for providing renewable power.

The fuel cell buses are designed for operation in sub-zero temperatures in rarefied atmospheres, typical to such altitude locations, which is a unique feature of this project.

NTPC is committed to achieving 60 GW of Renewable Energy capacity by 2032 and be a major player in green hydrogen technology and energy storage domain.

The company is taking up several initiatives towards decarbonisation, such as hydrogen blending, carbon capture, EV buses, smart NTPC Townships etc.