Kandla Port, Green-Kutch NextGen to bolster green hydrogen ecosystem

Gujarat’s Kandla Port has moved to anchor itself in India’s emerging green hydrogen economy through a partnership with Green-Kutch NextGen Pvt. Ltd. In a key development, Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) has signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a green hydrogen ecosystem at Kandla, aligning port-led infrastructure planning with the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

The agreement has been signed at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Rajkot, reinforcing Gujarat’s focus on translating renewable energy targets into bankable industrial projects.

Under the MoU, DPA will spearhead the creation of a dedicated Kutch Green Hydrogen Park based on a plug-and-play model. The proposed park will offer pre-approved land parcels, common utilities and standardised interfaces, allowing developers to deploy modular hydrogen production, storage and related facilities with reduced execution risk and shorter timelines. The approach is intended to remove bottlenecks that have slowed early-stage hydrogen projects across the country.

Beyond infrastructure, the partnership places emphasis on inclusive industrial participation. By encouraging the involvement of micro, small and medium enterprises, the initiative seeks to diversify the hydrogen value chain while generating skilled employment for local youth. DPA has positioned the project as an evolving ecosystem rather than a single anchor investment, designed to scale in step with demand from industry and mobility applications.

Kandla’s port-based location offers strategic advantages for green hydrogen. Direct access to logistics, industrial consumers and export infrastructure could support domestic decarbonisation while enabling future shipments of hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels. The hydrogen park is therefore being positioned as enabling infrastructure rather than a speculative standalone facility.

Separately, DPA announced that all modules of its Enterprise Business System has went live, completing a port-wide digital transformation. The system is expected to improve operational transparency, reduce transaction costs and support faster project execution, reinforcing investor confidence. The move aligns port operations with clean energy investments.

Last year, the Central Government officially designated three major Indian ports — Deendayal Port Authority (Gujarat), V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (Tamil Nadu), and Paradip Port Authority (Odisha) — as Green Hydrogen Hubs under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM). Prior to that, India’s first port-based Green Hydrogen Pilot Project was inaugurated at V.O. Chidambaranar (VOC) Port.