Minister lays foundation stone for Green Methanol facility
Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated on 5 Sept India’s first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port, marking a major step in India’s clean energy transition.
Built at a cost of Rs.3.87 crore, the 10 Nm³/hr pilot facility will generate green hydrogen to power streetlights and an electric vehicle charging station in the port colony. With this launch, VOC Port has become the first port in the country to produce green hydrogen http://mnre.gov.in.
Sonowal also laid the foundation for a pilot Green Methanol Bunkering and Refuelling facility of 750 m³ capacity at a cost of Rs.35.34 crore. Aligned with the proposed Coastal Green Shipping Corridor between Kandla and Tuticorin, the initiative is expected to position VOC Port as a key green bunkering hub in south India https://www.nseindia.com/.
“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 Shri Narendra Modi ji, we continue to make new strides towards achieving our goal of world’s Top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030, Top 5 by 2047,” Sonowal said https://www.bseindia.com/.
Additional projects launched include a 400 KW rooftop solar power plant, enhancing the port’s rooftop solar capacity to 1.04 MW, the highest among Indian ports, and a Rs.24.5 crore link conveyor connecting Coal Jetty-I to the port stack yard, increasing efficiency by 0.72 MMTPA.
Sonowal also laid foundation stones for a 6 MW wind farm, a Rs.90 crore multi-cargo berth, a 3.37 km four-lane road, and the Tamil Nadu Maritime Heritage Museum https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
The Minister highlighted that Tamil Nadu’s three major ports—Chennai, Kamarajar, and VOC—have seen transformative growth under Sagarmala, with 98 projects worth Rs.93,715 crore taken up in the past 11 years, of which 50 are already completed.
“This is unique growth. More than Rs.16,000 crore has been invested in these ports alone for modernisation and capacity enhancement,” he said. fiinews.com
