CHENNAI: The foundation stone for the first Green Hydrogen project of the state worth Rs 36,238 crore will be laid by Chief minister M K Stalin in Thoothukudi on Wednesday. This will be among the 28 projects for which foundation stones will be laid on the day. As many as 19 other projects will be also be inaugurated on the day. The total worth of the 47 projects is Rs 68,773 crore and it will generate more than 1.06 lakh jobs.
Industries Minister TRB Rajaa, giving the break-up, said 19 projects worth Rs 17,614 crore would be inaugurated generating 65,000 jobs. Apart from that the foundation stone will be laid for 27 projects worth Rs 51,000 crore. He said that laying the foundation stone as well as inauguration of these projects highlights the keenness of the state government under Chief Minister to realise the projects signed during the Global Investors Meet (GIM) 2024.
“After the MoUs were signed, a committee was formed to realise the deals, and now we have these 47 projects, which have been signed during GIM and also from the period between 2021 to 2023, including the visit of chief minister to foreign countries, the minister added.
The Green Hydrogen project of Singapore-based Sembcorp would be one of the largest in the country to have been grounded and it will be coming up in around 80 acres to 100 acres of land in the VOC Port in Thoothukudi, industry sources told TNIE. The project is expected to generate 1,511 jobs.
The significance of the Green Hydrogen project is that Green ammonia being prepared by using Green hydrogen will be exported to Japan by Sembcorp. It is learnt that the company has signed agreement with Japanese firms - Sojitz corporation and Kyushu Electric Company. Industry sources said Sembcorp plans will produce an initial 200,000 tonnes of Green ammonia per annum at the Indian plant. The project is considered to be the largest Green Hydrogen project in India as other projects are either in paper or in pilot stage.
Industry department sources said they are also working towards realising other hydrogen projects where a memorandum of understanding has been signed prior to the Global Investors Meet.
Interestingly, this will also be the major investment conclave before the chief minister leaves for the United States on August 27. Another project for which foundation stone will be laid is that of the Rs 3,400 crore-worth project of St Gobain, which is across segments including gypsum, glass, wool, different types of glass and ceramics among others.
The chief minister will also be inaugurating the Larsen and Toubro Innovation Campus which is coming up near Porur at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore. It will generate jobs for 40,000 people. Hiranandani’s Greenbase Industrial and Logistics Parks will also be launched at a proposed investment of Rs 700 crore. The other projects to be launched include Tablets India and Milky Mist.