The first hydrogen bus reached Leh on 17 August 2023 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.
Moving towards achieving carbon-neutral Ladakh, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is setting up Hydrogen Fuelling Station, Solar Plant and providing five Fuel Cell buses for operation on intracity routes of Leh.
The first-of-its-kind Green Hydrogen Mobility Project at 11,562 ft is co-located with dedicated Solar plant of 1.7 MW for providing renewable power.
A unique feature of this project is that the fuel cell buses are designed for operation in sub-zero temperatures in rarefied atmosphere, which is typical for high altitude locations.
NTPC is committed to achieve 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 decarbonization such as Hydrogen blending, Carbon Capture, EV buses and Smart NTPC Townships.