Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for North India’s first 1 MW Green Hydrogen Plant at Dabhota in Nalagarh Tehsil of Solan district. This project, being developed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) in collaboration with Oil India Limited, is set to be established at a cost of Rs. 9.04 crore. He directed the officials to ensure its completion within a year.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister reaffirmed Himachal Pradesh’s commitment to becoming India’s first Green Energy State by March 2026 and emphasized that the Dabhota Green Hydrogen Plant marks a major milestone in the State’s renewable energy journey. “This initiative is a crucial step in Himachal Pradesh’s efforts to establish itself as a leader in renewable energy and sustainability,” Sukhu said. The State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oil India Limited on April 26, 2023, focusing on the development of solar energy, green hydrogen, geothermal energy, and compressed biogas.
Sukhu said that following a detailed assessment, a 4,000-square-meter land parcel in Dabhota was selected for the plant. As the State’s first large-scale green hydrogen initiative, this project underscores the Government's commitment to sustainable energy solutions. The plant will utilize power from renewable sources to produce hydrogen through electrolysis, using an alkaline potassium hydroxide solution as an electrolyte. This method significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports a cleaner energy ecosystem, he added.
He said that with a production capacity of 423 kilograms of green hydrogen per day, the plant will require 13 litres of water per kilogram of hydrogen, sourced from underground reserves via tube wells. The production process will consume approximately 52.01 units of electricity per kilogram of hydrogen. Annually, the plant is expected to generate 1,54,395 kilograms of green hydrogen. He also highlighted the state government’s broader focus on green energy, including its progress toward achieving a 500 MW solar energy target.
CM launches 'Swachh Shehar Samridh Shehar' program, 'Citizen Service Portal'
In a separate program, Sukhu launched the 'Swachh Shehar Samridh Shehar' program and the 'Citizen Service Portal' of Urban Development. The Citizen Service Portal, an initiative under the One State-One Portal could be accessed using citizenseva.hp.gov.in platform.
Under the Clean City-Prosperous City program, various initiatives will be taken for cleanliness, environmental protection and waste management in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Various online public services will be available on the One State, One Portal.
Sukhu termed these initiatives as transformative and said that the aim of launching the Citizen Service Portal was to provide an integrated end-to-end online solution to all the ULBs of the state. Through this, initially nine essential services will be provided, out of which seven services will be in line with the needs of the citizens and two have been designed for the management of the ULBs. The portal will offer various online public services including trade license, property tax management, grievance redressal, booking of community places to the people. In the coming time, 45 services will be provided through this platform.
The Chief Minister said that through the Citizen Service Portal, garbage IDs of 2 lakh 82 thousand households in urban areas would be created for garbage collection and bill issuance. In future, all these registered units will be provided digital identity plates.
He said that the state government was prioritizing ease of living and the Citizen Service Portal reflects the commitment towards the use of technology while ensuring inclusive development. The government is continuously taking transformative steps to make the lives of the people easier and simplify the processes. "Earlier, works were being done using traditional methodology in all the ULBs, but now we have changed our working style, which has also increased their efficiency," said the Chief Minister.
He added that a comprehensive system has been developed in the state for collecting and disposing garbage. Modern facilities are being developed for scientific disposal of garbage.