India to Notify Antarctic Authority: New Antarctic Research Base by 2030

13 May 2024

India will notify Antarctica's regulatory authority of its plans to build a new research post on the ice continent to replace its current research station, Maitri. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) expects the new research base to be operational by 2030. The existing research station Maitri, built in January 1989, will be transformed into a heritage monument.

The plan will be presented to Antarctica's governing body at the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), which India will host in Kochi, Kerala, beginning May 20. "We will be informing the treaty parties that we are planning to enhance our facilities, by which we mean redeveloping. We are only informing them that we intend to redevelop the existing station and plan to build a new station," stated NCPOR director Thamban Meloth.

He said it would be premature to make a formal declaration to the governing body because the process had not yet begun.

The location for the new station, which will feature improved and modern research facilities, has already been identified. Once the Centre approves the project, it is projected to take 18 months to develop the master plan for the new station, hire a consultant, and design and build the research station.

Once this is accomplished, the next step will be to select a contractor to execute the project.