Arunachal Pradesh government inks pact with NGI to harness geothermal potentials
OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) on Wednesday to explore the feasibility of harnessing the geothermal potential that the state’s numerous hot springs offer. The MoU was signed by state science and technology secretary Repo Ronya and Dr Rajinder Bhasin, a technical expert from NGI, in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Science and Technology Minister Honchun Ngandam, chief secretary Dharmendra, and senior advisor of the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, Dr Vivek Kumar.
Congratulating the NGI and the department of science and technology, Khandu termed the signing of the MoU a right step towards green and clean energy production, especially in light of global warming concerns. “It is a great coincidence that this MoU is being signed on World Tourism Day, as its theme this year is “Tourism a Green Investment, which perfectly goes in tandem with this new initiative,” the chief minister said. He expressed optimism that the study would lead to the development of renewable geothermal sources in the state and increase energy supply to meet present and future demands. “Many of the hot springs are located in mountainous areas where generators run on fossil fuels for electricity and heating. These can be replaced by geothermal energy with no CO2 emissions,” Khandu said.
Admitting that this is completely a new technology for the state, the chief minister expressed hope that NGI, with its expertise in the field and experience in successfully implementing a project in Ladakh, will give a new direction to energy production that would be beneficial not only to the local populace residing in the high mountains but also to the army personnel posted there. Khandu also expressed hope that Arunachal’s relationship with NGI will go beyond harnessing geothermal resources, especially in the fields of road construction and tunneling. “Arunachal Pradesh is geographically and geologically completely different from the rest of the country. Therefore, tailor-made technology is needed for the construction of roads and tunnels here. As Norway, with similar geological features, has one of the world’s best road infrastructure and world-class tunnels, we can benefit from its technology,” he said.
Dr. Bhasin agreed with the chief minister and informed that Norway, despite being a small country, has about 7000 km of tunnels that shorten road distances, eventually enhancing government revenue. Dr. Bhasin, who visited a few places in West Kameng, said the state has tremendous potential for the development of infrastructure to make it one of the best tourism states in the country. “I have worked for about a decade in Bhutan, and I thought it was the ultimate. But visiting Arunachal Pradesh for the first time, I realised that I was wrong all the time. This is heaven,” he said. Representing the Norwegian embassy, senior advisor Dr. Vivek Kumar said the embassy is ready to facilitate cooperation between Norwegian agencies and experts with the state government in sectors that matter.
The current project is also being technically supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy through NGI. The Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (an autonomous organization of the state’s department of science and technology) has been interacting with NGI for technical assistance to perform feasibility studies for harnessing geothermal resources in the state.
The intention of the MoU is to provide a facilitating mechanism for the two parties to work together on mutually agreed-upon, progressive, and supportive activities, aiming for further development in the field of geo-techniques and rock engineering by dealing with complex subsurface geological and geotechnical issues faced by the state. To begin with, NGI will carry out geological, geochemical, and geothermal investigations of a few selected geothermal sites in Tawang and West Kameng districts that will include MT surveys to decipher the deeper geo-electrical configuration of geothermal springs (hot springs) and the feasibility for utilizing the geothermal energy resources for further use.
Also Watch: