Arunachal Pradesh, India to explore geothermal potential with Norwegian partner

Signing of MoU between the Arunachal Pradesh Government and the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (source: Pema Khandu via Twitter)

The Government of Arunachal Pradesh has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) to collaborate and explore the feasibility of harnessing geothermal energy from the state’s hot springs.

The MoU was signed by state science and technology secretary Repo Ronya and Dr Rajinder Bhasin, technical expert from NGI. Present during the ceremony were Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Science and Technology Minister Honchun Ngandam, chief secretary Dharmendra, and senior advisor of Norwegian embassy in New Delhi, Dr Vivek Kumar.

Under the MoU, the NGI will conduct geological and geochemical studies at selected sites in the Tawang and West Kameng districts. There will also be MT surveys to better understand the subsurface in the study areas and better assess the feasibility of commercial-scale geothermal development.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy is supporting the project through NGI. The Centre for Earth Sciences & Himalayan Studies, an autonomous organization of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, had previously engaged with the NGI to discuss the feasibility studies.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed optimism that the collaborative project will lead to the development of geothermal projects in Arunachal Pradesh. He also highlighted that the mountainous areas where the geothermal resources are located are currently dependent on generators that run on fossil fuels. The Chief Minister hopest that this initiative helps increase the energy supply in the region to meet the present and future demand.

“It is a great coincidence that this MoU is being signed on World Tourism Day as its theme this year is Tourism & Green Investment’ that perfectly goes in tandem with this new initiative,” said the Chief Minister.

The state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has taken the lead in exploring for geothermal resources in several areas in India. The most advanced of these is the Puga Valley geothermal project in Ladakh, where preliminary drilling had already been started last year.

Source: India Today NE and Business Standard