Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Unveils Green Hydrogen Pilot Project at VOC Port in Tamil Nadu
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated India’s first port-based green hydrogen pilot project built at a cost of about INR 3.87 crore and laid the foundation for a green methanol bunkering facility at VOC Port, Tamil Nadu.
September 06, 2025. By Mrinmoy Dey
Built at a cost of INR 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, stated the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Sonowal also laid the foundation for a pilot Green Methanol Bunkering and Refuelling Facility of 750 m³ capacity at a cost of INR 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.
“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 Narendra Modi, we continue to make new strides towards achieving our goal of world’s Top 10 shipbuilding nations by 2030, Top 5 by 2047,” asserted Sonowal.
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 an INR 24.5 crore link conveyor connecting Coal Jetty-I to the port stack yard, increasing efficiency by 0.72 MMTPA.
The Minister also laid foundation stones for a 6 MW wind farm, an INR 90 crore multi-cargo berth, a 3.37 km four-lane road, and the Tamil Nadu Maritime Heritage Museum.
The Union Minister highlighted that Tamil Nadu’s three major ports – Chennai, Kamarajar, and VOC – have seen transformative growth under Sagarmala, with 98 projects worth INR 93,715 crore taken up in the past 11 years, of which 50 are already completed. “This is unique growth. More than INR 16,000 crore has been invested in these ports alone for modernisation and capacity enhancement,” he said.
The event also witnessed MoUs between VOC Port and IPRCL for rail connectivity to the Outer Harbour project, and with NTPC for implementing green mobility initiatives at the Port. The Minister was joined by TK Ramachandran, Secretary, MoPSW along with other top officials of the Ministry and the Government of Tamil Nadu.
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