Maruti Suzuki commissions 300 kW green hydrogen pilot plant at Manesar factory
Maruti Suzuki has commissioned its first green hydrogen plant, a 300 kW pilot electrolyzer at its Manesar facility in Haryana, turning otherwise-unused solar power into fuel for its manufacturing operations.
- 300 kW
- 615,000 tonnes
- 266,000 tonnes
- INR 5,610 million
What Happened
Maruti Suzuki India Limited has commissioned a 300 kW Green Hydrogen (GH2) electrolyzer plant at its Manesar facility in Haryana, set up as a pilot. The green hydrogen it produces is blended with natural gas and used as process fuel in the company's manufacturing operations. The plant is designed to maximise use of the solar energy generated at Manesar: solar power produced during holidays, which would otherwise remain unutilised, is used to generate green hydrogen. That hydrogen is stored and subsequently used in manufacturing operations. Based on the learnings from this pilot project, the company plans to scale up the adoption of green hydrogen technology across its manufacturing facilities in Haryana and Gujarat.
300 kW
Maruti Suzuki's first green hydrogen plant, commissioned as a pilot at its Manesar facility in Haryana.
- 615,000 tonnes
- 266,000 tonnes
“Just like we have adopted a multi-pathway approach for products, we have also embarked on a journey of multiple renewable energy solutions for manufacturing operations. The commissioning of our 300 kW Green Hydrogen plant is aligned with the Government of India's Green Hydrogen Mission. This, along with expansion of solar, biogas and installation of battery energy storage system reflects our commitment to transition to cleaner and sustainable energy solutions.”
“India is emerging as a manufacturing powerhouse, and its competitive position may not depend solely on cost and quality, but also on CO2 intensity. With such initiatives, we are building capability today so that we can support a low-carbon and more energy-efficient manufacturing ecosystem tomorrow. Through multiple clean technologies, we aspire to reduce our carbon footprint in manufacturing operations from the present 615,000 tonnes to 266,000 tonnes in FY 2030-31.”
- In-house solar power plants, renewable energy procured from government sources, and power purchase agreements with third-party providers for solar and wind-based energy.
- A 10 tonnes per day (TPD) biogas plant at its Kharkhoda facility, in the advanced stage of being set up and due to be commissioned within FY 2026-27.
- A 1 MWh battery energy storage system, recently commissioned at the Kharkhoda facility.
- Compressed biogas (CBG) being integrated as process fuel, with the board recently approving four CBG projects and a budget of INR 5,610 million for them.
Beyond Maruti Suzuki's own plants, parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation is partnering with organisations such as the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and dairy industry unions to set up 10 biogas plants across India, three of which are already operational in Gujarat. Maruti Suzuki says its approach draws on Suzuki Motor Corporation's core philosophy of Sho-Sho-Kei-Tan-Bi, which it translates as smaller, fewer, lighter, shorter and more beautiful, and that it continues to improve resource efficiency and optimise energy requirements. The company says the pilot green hydrogen plant strengthens its portfolio of clean energy sources for process fuels, marking another milestone in its journey toward sustainable manufacturing.
Why this matters
This pilot shows how an automaker can cut emissions from the factories that build its cars, not just from the vehicles themselves. If the technology scales, it would affect Maruti Suzuki's manufacturing sites in Haryana and Gujarat and the workers and suppliers linked to them. The company says it aims to cut the carbon footprint of its manufacturing operations from 615,000 tonnes to 266,000 tonnes in FY 2030-31.
Terms in This Story
- Green hydrogen
- Hydrogen produced using renewable electricity, such as solar power, rather than fossil fuels.
- Electrolyzer
- A device that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Compressed biogas (CBG)
- Biogas that has been purified and compressed so it can be used as a fuel in place of natural gas.
- Process fuel
- Fuel used to run industrial processes inside a factory, rather than to power a vehicle.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.