Hydrogen buses for Kargil
State-owned hydroelectric power producer NHPC has received an encouraging response to its pilot project to develop a green hydrogen-fuelled bus station in Ladakh.
Under the project, NHPC plans to run two hydrogen fuel cell-based buses in the Kargil area for up to eight hours daily. On November 3 (2023), NHPC opened price bids from ten bidders.
A source tells us Gensol Engineering bid lowest, but this remains unconfirmed. On November 2 (2023), NHPC finished evaluating technical bids by the ten contractors submitted on August 23 (2023).
Others in the race are Green Power, Sopan O&M; Hartek Solar, Nuberg Engineering; KEC International, JNK India; HILD Energy; Jakson Green, and Suryam International. SSB Green Enviro and AMN Energy Solutions bid online but failed to deliver hard-copy bid documents on time.
Whoever wins must develop a 500-kilo-watt grid-connected ground-mounted solar power facility to supply power to the station, using Alkaline, Proton Exchange Membrane, Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell, or Anion Exchange Membrane electrolyser technology. NHPC wants the project commissioned within one year and for the contractor to oversee operations and maintenance for three years.
In July 2022, NHPC signed two separate agreements with the local administration to develop green hydrogen technologies in Leh and Kargil in the presence of former Ladakh lieutenant governor RK Mathur. For the Leh district, NHPC will develop a pilot green hydrogen fuel cell-based microgrid (a small hydrogen-fuelled electricity grid) to deliver electricity to its guest house at Nimmo Bazgo Power Station in Leh.
According to its website, NHPC's total installed capacity on September 30 (2023) was 7097.20-MW. NHPC operates 22 hydropower stations, two 76-MW solar power projects, and one 50-MW wind power project.