VOC Port earmarks Rs 41,860 cr to position itself as green hydrogen hub

V O Chidambaranar Port, one of the popular seaports of Tamil Nadu, has earmarked Rs 41,860 crore worth of investments, aimed at making it the Green Hydrogen-Ammonia hub of the country, a top official said.

The port has also taken measures to augment capacity after witnessing an increase in cargo handling this year.

V O Chidambaranar Port has handled a cargo volume of 29.70 million tonnes including 5.62 lakh TEUs of containers till December 19, 2024 this is an overall growth of 1.87 per cent and 6.74 per cent, respectively.

"With the ever-increasing trend in cargo handling, the Port has initiated several strategic capacity augmentation and cargo evacuation initiatives to increase cargo throughput, enhance handling efficiency and expand its market share in the region," a press release said on Sunday.

As part of a mission to position V O Chidambaranar Port as the Green Hydrogen-Ammonia Hub of India, the Port has allocated 501 acres of land to four firms for establishing Green Hydrogen and Ammonia manufacturing and storage facilities at a total investment of Rs 41,860 crore, the release said.

A pilot demonstration for the production of green hydrogen, storage and power generation using fuel cells is currently under progress and it is expected to be completed by January 2025.

VOC Port Chairperson Susanta Kumar Purohit said with the advantages of being an all weather port, strategic location close to the East-West International sea route, lowest turn around time of container ships, seamless road and rail connectivity, and capacity augmentation initiatives, VOC Port has immense potential to become the gateway port of South India.

The Port is set to execute a green hydrogen Pilot Bunkering project that would demonstrate bunkering and refuelling capacities for green hydrogen and its derivatives.

The Port officials have also taken measures to widen the Port's entrance channel from 152.40 metres to 230 metres as part of the capacity augmentation initiatives.

Aimed at accommodating bulk cargo ships, the Port said it has planned for construction of Berth 10 with Length Over All (LOA) of 440 metres under engineering, procurement and construction mode at an approximate cost of Rs 80 crore.

"To handle smaller vessels of around 120 metres of LOA and body length of 52 metre to 55 metre in the Port's oil jetty, the necessary infrastructure will be constructed by mid-2025," the release said.