In a major push to India’s clean energy mission, officials flagged off five hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses on Thursday for commercial service in Leh district of Ladakh. This region is home to the world’s highest motorable roads.

India launched its first-ever commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered buses. This marked a significant global move toward clean mobility in extreme terrains.

NTPC Limited handed over the green hydrogen buses to the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO), according to news agency PTI. They conducted the handover in a formal ceremony at NTPC’s hydrogen mobility station in Palam, Leh.

Bhupesh Chaudhary, administrative secretary of the transport department, visited the green hydrogen plant. He inspected its production, storage, and dispensing systems. He praised NTPC’s technological success in completing the project at such a high altitude. He highlighted the project’s importance in supporting the goal of a carbon-neutral Ladakh.

Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal appreciated NTPC’s “pioneering efforts.” He said that the successful operationalisation of hydrogen buses in such extreme terrain “could usher in a new era of hydrogen fuel cell mobility in India.” He directed NTPC to document all operational learnings for replication in other regions.

NTPC and the Ladakh administration worked together to carry out this initiative.

The project reflected India’s rising leadership in renewable energy innovation. It aligned with the central government’s broader push toward net-zero emissions.

NTPC launched the world’s first hydrogen fueling station at this high an altitude—11,562 feet above sea level—in November last year. The station is powered fully by renewable energy and is located next to a 1.7 MW solar plant.

The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by around 350 metric tonnes annually. It will also generate 230 metric tonnes of pure oxygen—an amount equal to what nearly 13,000 trees would produce.

NTPC, India’s largest integrated power utility, has over 81 GW of installed capacity. It has set a target to reach 60 GW of renewable energy by 2032.

With 9.6 GW of green capacity under construction, the hydrogen mobility initiative in Ladakh marked another key milestone in NTPC’s clean energy journey.