Written by PPL Newsroom• October 7, 2026• 2:31 pm• Innovation

Himachal invites bids for power works at 1 MW green hydrogen plant

The state electricity board wants bidders to strengthen a 33 kV feeder and support power supply to the HPPCL–Oil India plant near Nalagarh.

The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) has opened a tender for the electrical works needed to power a green hydrogen plant being developed by HPPCL and Oil India. The work includes strengthening the existing 33 kV Green Ply feeder from the 66/33/11 kV Baglehar substation. The tender moves a project announced in 2025 closer to the point where it can be connected to the grid.

What the tender covers

According to tender details reported by SolarQuarter, HPSEBL is seeking bids for system operation and service support to the HPPCL OIL joint venture for a 1 MW green hydrogen plant at Village Nasrali. The tender was issued by the Chief Engineer, Operation, South, in Shimla. The work falls under HPSEBL’s Electrical Sub Division in Nalagarh.

The key numbers:

Estimated value: ₹3,04,74,732, which Kalpa Power rounds to ₹3.04 crore.
Completion period: 365 days.
Bid deadline: 14 October 2026, at 11:00 AM.
Bidder costs: a non-refundable tender fee of ₹2,360 and an earnest money deposit of ₹3,04,747. Bank guarantees are not accepted for the deposit.

A feeder is the line that carries electricity from a substation to a particular area or consumer. Reinforcing it helps the plant draw steady power. That matters because an electrolyser, which splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, needs a reliable supply to run well.

Background: a plant announced in 2025

The state government laid the foundation stone for the plant in February 2025. According to the Himachal Pradesh government, it is being developed by HPPCL with Oil India Limited at a cost of ₹9.04 crore. The Chief Minister directed officials to complete it within a year. The tender, issued in October 2026, shows the grid-connection work is still being procured.

Earlier announcements named the site as Dabhota in Nalagarh tehsil, Solan district, while the new tender names Village Nasrali. The sources do not explain the difference in place names.

The state described the plant’s design in 2025. It is meant to produce 423 kg of green hydrogen a day and use 13 litres of water per kilogram of hydrogen, drawn from tube wells. It would consume about 52.01 units of electricity per kilogram and yield 1,54,395 kg a year. The hydrogen is produced by electrolysis using an alkaline potassium hydroxide solution.

What this means for India

The plant is small, but it is described by the state as North India’s first 1 MW green hydrogen facility, and it supports Himachal’s goal of becoming a green energy state. Nationally, the National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year by 2030. Early projects like this one show what that goal needs on the ground: substations, feeders and reliable power, not only electrolysers. Other states planning hydrogen pilots can watch how long grid works take.

What happens next

Bids close on 14 October. After that, HPSEBL will evaluate offers and award the contract. The tender sets a 365-day window for the work. The sources reviewed do not give a commissioning date for the plant itself or a start date for hydrogen sales. A separate HPPCL tender listing has also covered green hydrogen offtake from a 1 MW plant at Dabhota, Nalagarh. That suggests the agency is arranging buyers for the output as well.