Reiterating Prime Minister’s vision that not only will green hydrogen be the basis of green growth through green jobs but it will also set an example for the world towards clean energy transition, “Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort in Delhi, Hon’ble Prime Minister announced self-reliance in energy production through a mix of electric mobility, gas-based economy and taking Green Hydrogen on Mission mode,” said Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, addressing on the occasion of flagging-off 1st Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus from Kartavya Path, New Delhi. Shri Rameswar Teli, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Labour and Employment; Shri Pankaj Jain, Secretary, MoP&NG, Shri S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil were also present on the occasion.
Flagging-off the first Hydrogen cell bus in presence of young school children, officials and media persons, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri explained the concept of Hydrogen and the benefits of using it as the fuel for future, “The fuel cell utilizes Hydrogen and air to generate electricity to power the bus and the only by-product from the bus is water therefore making it possibly the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation as compared to conventional buses that run on diesel and petrol. With three times the energy density and the absence of harmful emissions, hydrogen shines as a cleaner, more efficient choice to meet the energy requirements.” Additionally, the buses powered with hydrogen cells takes few minutes to fully charge itself, added Shri Puri.
Speaking about the Government’s ambitious plans on clean and green energy, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said that emerging fuels like hydrogen and bio-fuels shall account for 25% of global incremental energy demand growth over the next two decades. “With one of the largest synchronous grids in the world, we have achieved ‘One Nation-One Grid-One Frequency’, and would soon be global champion in production and exports of Hydrogen and is set to emerge as the Hub for green hydrogen”, he added.
Complimenting Industry and Government’s collaboration in taking India on a global platform and ensuring that it becomes a global hub for cleaner technologies and achieving self-reliance in energy soon, “We were privy to the launch of the world’s first BS 6 (Stage II) Electrified Flex Fuel vehicle prototype that encompasses both the flex fuel engine as well as an electric powertrain that offers higher use of ethanol combined with better fuel efficiencies. Now with flagging-off the first two hydrogen cell buses, we have set the ball rolling and expect another 15 such buses to ply on Delhi NCR roads by the end of this year”, stated the Petroleum Minister.