Maruti Suzuki India has commissioned a 300 kW green hydrogen electrolyser plant at its Manesar manufacturing facility in Haryana, marking the automaker’s first plant of this kind. The pilot project is intended to reduce fossil-fuel use in manufacturing and improve the utilisation of renewable power.

The facility will use surplus solar power generated at Manesar during holidays to produce green hydrogen. The hydrogen will be stored and later blended with natural gas for use as process fuel in manufacturing operations, according to a company exchange filing.

Maruti Suzuki plans to expand green hydrogen adoption across its manufacturing facilities in Haryana and Gujarat based on the pilot’s results. The project forms part of a broader clean-energy programme involving expanded solar capacity, renewable electricity procurement, power purchase agreements, biogas and battery storage.

The company is in the advanced stages of establishing a biogas plant with capacity of 10 t per day at its Kharkhoda facility. It has already commissioned a 1 MWh battery energy storage system there, while its board has approved four compressed biogas projects with a budget of Rs. 5.61 bn.

In June, Maruti Suzuki announced plans to invest Rs. 9.25 bn by FY31 in green-energy initiatives, including biogas projects. The company aims to reduce its manufacturing carbon footprint from 615,000 tonnes currently to 266,000 tonnes by FY2030-31. Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said the competitiveness of its manufacturing operations would increasingly depend on production costs, quality and carbon intensity. The hydrogen project is aligned with the government’s Green Hydrogen Mission and supports the company’s transition towards cleaner energy solutions.