Nitin Gadkari calls for innovative solutions to lower hydrogen fuel station costs
New Delhi: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday urged the industry to come up with innovative solutions to bring down the capital investment required for setting up hydrogen fuel stations in the country.
According to him, currently, the cost to set up a hydrogen gas station is around Rs 7 crore. For individuals looking to invest, the capital requirement of Rs 6-7 crore makes it a challenging investment. While we can offer a Rs 5 per kg margin, it still doesn’t make the capital investment feasible.
“Indian technology, innovation, and research are crucial for the future and we need to convert knowledge into wealth. To make hydrogen fuel stations widely accessible, the cost of setting up each station must be reduced to a maximum of Rs 50 lakh. Without achieving this, it will be difficult to make hydrogen fuel stations viable,” Gardari said during the flag-off of the first hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks for trials by Tata Motors.
Mumbai-based Tata Motors was awarded the tender for this trial funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The 24-month trial will involve 16 hydrogen-powered vehicles with different configurations and payload capacities, tested on major freight routes including Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur, and Kalinganagar.
To support this, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is establishing hydrogen refueling stations in Faridabad, Vadodara, Pune, and Balasore.
Emphasising the crucial role of biofuels and green hydrogen in shaping India’s economic and environmental future, Gadkari stated, “Hydrogen is fuel for the future”.
He aims to reduce the cost of hydrogen to 1 dollar per kg, expressing confidence that India will lead the way, thanks to its advanced research and development initiatives in this field.
At the event, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi highlighted that with an allocation of Rs 19,744 crore, the National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to position India as a key player in hydrogen production, storage, and application across various sectors.
He noted that India has already made significant progress, awarding 4,12,000 TPA of Green Hydrogen production and approving 3 GW of electrolyser manufacturing capacity annually.
India is the third-largest oil consumer and fourth-largest crude oil importer, and hydrogen technology will play a key role in reducing this reliance, Joshi added.
