changeadminBoosting its decarbonization efforts, NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power utility, handed over five hydrogen fuel buses to SIDCO (Sindhu Infrastructure Development Corporation, a wholly owned corporation of the Leh Administration) for operation and use on June 18, 2025.
This initiative marks India’s first commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel buses and sets a global benchmark for green mobility by operating at the highest altitude in the world.
Late last year, NTPC launched the world’s first hydrogen fueling station and first-of-its-kind Green Hydrogen Mobility Station in Leh, capital of Ladakh.
Green hydrogen is a gas produced through a process called electrolysis, using renewable energy. Clean energy fuel has various applications, including sustainable transportation solutions.
The hydrogen bus station at an altitude of 11,562 ft is co-located with a dedicated solar plant of 1.7 MW to provide renewable power for its entire operational requirements.
The hydrogen fuel is dispensed at 350 bar (India’s first high-pressure hydrogen dispensation system) in 05 fuel cell buses, designed for operation in sub-zero temperatures in rarefied atmosphere, typical of such altitude locations.
The hydrogen mobility project shall mitigate the carbon emissions of approximately 350 MT/year and contribute 230 MT/year of pure oxygen into the atmosphere, equivalent to thirteen thousand trees.
The hydrogen fuel buses will accelerate the adoption of other sustainable applications for achieving Carbon Neutral Ladakh, a target envisioned by Prime Minister Modi.
NTPC Ltd. is India’s largest integrated power utility, contributing one-fourth of India’s power requirements and has an installed capacity of over 81 GW, with an additional capacity of 29.5 GW under construction, including 9.6 GW of renewable energy capacity.
The company is committed to achieving 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032 and is committed to adopting clean energy technologies for a greener future.
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