Itanagar: India’s first fully indigenous geothermal power plant will be established in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said on Tuesday.
The 50-kilowatt plant, designed to operate at a low temperature of 68 degrees Celsius, will be developed jointly by the Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS) and the Shriram Institute for Industrial Research (SIIR) under a memorandum of understanding signed between the two institutions.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
According to Rupankar Rajkhowa, Geoscience Chief at CESHS, the project will be set up in Tawang district, with Mago, Thingbu, and Damteng identified as potential sites.
He said structural mapping and preliminary research have already been completed. The project is expected to be completed in three years and will serve a population of over 5,000.
The estimated cost of the project is over Rs 10 crore and will be funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
A team of CESHS scientists, led by director Tana Tage, recently visited SIIR’s demonstration site, where a 20-kW geothermal plant has been tested. SIIR officials said a smaller 5-kW lab-scale model has also been used to study operational challenges associated with low-temperature geothermal technology.
Bhupesh Sharma, geothermal project manager at SIIR, said multiple trials have been conducted to test indigenous bipolar process technology under the specified temperature conditions.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu acknowledged the development, stating on social media that the MoU represents progress in renewable energy and geothermal research in the Himalayan region.
CESHS, established in 2021 under the Department of Science and Technology, focuses on research in climatology, geoscience, hydrology, and renewable energy.