THOOTHUKUDI Thoothukudi: V O Chidambaranar Port, one of the popular ports in Tamil Nadu, plans to invest Rs 41,860 crore with the aim of making it the green hydrogen-ammonia hub of the country, a top official said. The port has also taken steps to increase capacity after seeing 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 TEU containers till December 19, 2024, 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 launched several strategic capacity enhancement and cargo clearance initiatives to increase cargo throughput, enhance handling efficiency and expand its market share in the region,” it said in a press release on Sunday. ” Under the mission to establish V O Chidambaranar Port as the Green Hydrogen-Ammonia Hub of India, the port has appointed four firms to set up green hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing and storage facilities with a total investment of Rs 41,860 crore, the release said. Has been allotted 501 acres of land.
A pilot demonstration for the production of green hydrogen, storage and power generation using fuel cells is currently in progress and is expected to be completed by January 2025. VOC Port Chairman Sushant Kumar Purohit said that being an all-weather port, With the advantages of strategic location close to East-West International Seaway, shortest turnaround time of container vessels, seamless road and rail connectivity and capacity enhancement 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 will demonstrate bunkering and fueling capabilities for green hydrogen and its derivatives. The port authorities have widened the port's entry channel from 152.40 m to 230 m as part of the capacity enhancement initiative. Steps have also been taken to widen it up to 1 meter.
The port said that for the purpose of accommodating bulk cargo vessels it has planned to construct berth 10 with a length of 440 meters at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore under engineering, procurement and construction mode. The release said, “To handle small vessels with approximately 120 m LOA and body length of 52 m to 55 m at the port's oil jetty, necessary infrastructure will be created by mid-2025 Will go.”
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