VOC Port is India’s first to produce green hydrogen

VO Chidambaranar (VOC) Port located in Thoothukudi has become the first port in India to successfully produce green hydrogen and surpass 1 MW in rooftop solar power generation. The information has been shared by Susanta Kumar Purohit, Chairperson of VOC Port Authority.

He made the announcement during a media briefing held at the one-day conference on Green Ports and Shipping – Chartering a Sustainable Maritime Future, organized under NAVIC Cell-3 (Green Initiatives and Pollution Control) of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The conference is part of a national series of thematic workshops and roadshows leading up to India Maritime Week 2025, scheduled for October in Mumbai.

Highlighting the sustainability achievements of VOC Port, Purohit stated that several green initiatives are underway. “We are establishing a pilot 750 cubic metre green methanol bunkering facility and have initiated a project to produce 25 tonnes per day of green methanol from municipal solid waste,” he added. He also noted that VOC Port and other major ports are actively transitioning to energy-efficient systems as part of the ministry’s net-zero roadmap.

The conference featured two key sessions on Decarbonisation in the Maritime Sector and Green Financing and Policy Frameworks. The inaugural session included a keynote address by Vijay Kumar, Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India, who stressed the importance of sustainability and inter-agency coordination to achieve India’s 2070 net-zero emissions goal.

He added that the ministry is working to develop eco-friendly inland waterways and promote renewable energy, green fuels like LNG, ammonia, and hydrogen, and modernize port equipment.

Dignitaries at the conference included from IRSEE, NGHM, TERI, Indian Maritime University and VOC Port Authority.