Geothermal drying unit opens in Arunachal Pradesh's Dirang

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

On 10 November 2026, officials opened a geothermal-heated drying facility at Dirang in West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh. The unit runs on the natural temperature and flow of a geothermal well drilled nearby, with no electricity needed to dry kiwi, apple, persimmon and yak meat.

It is the first geothermal-powered drying unit in Northeast India, and the visible end of a chain that began with a pumping test on the same site a year earlier. The question now is whether one pilot becomes a template for the eastern Himalayas or stays a single demonstration.

Why it matters

If it replicates, Himalayan farmers get a post-harvest tool that runs without grid power or fuel.

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Key Indicators

Geothermal drying units in Northeast India

The Dirang facility is described as the region's first.

Countries in the collaboration

India, Norway and Iceland partnered on the project.

Product types named for drying

Kiwi, apple, persimmon and yak meat were listed at the inauguration.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Dasanglu Pul

Minister of Science and Technology, Arunachal Pradesh

In office; inaugurated the Dirang facility

May-Elin Stener

Norwegian Ambassador to India

In office

Tana Tage

Director, Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS)

In office

Rajinder Bhasin

Geotechnical engineer, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)

Supervised the Dirang well testing

Organizations Involved

Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS)

State research institute

Indian lead on the Dirang project

Itanagar-based institute that ran the Dirang well test and now operates the drying unit.

Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)

Research and engineering institute

Technical partner on well testing

Oslo-based institute that supervised the Dirang well test and co-developed the drying unit.

Geotropy ehf

Geothermal development company

Icelandic technical partner

Icelandic firm that helped install and commission the Dirang drying unit.

Ministry of Earth Sciences

Union government ministry

Primary funder

Indian federal ministry that funded the Dirang geothermal project.

Oil India Limited (OIL)

State-owned oil and gas company

Represented at the inauguration

State oil company with a presence at the Dirang inauguration.

Timeline

November 2025 November 2026

4 events Latest: Today

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
Geothermal drying facility inaugurated at Dirang
Today Inauguration

Minister Dasanglu Pul and Norwegian Ambassador May-Elin Stener opened the unit, which will dry kiwi, apple, persimmon and yak meat.
Today
Deccan Herald reports unit set to open for farmers
Media

Reporting described the Dirang unit as the Northeast's first geothermal-powered drying facility, published amid protests over mega dams.
November 1st, 2026
July 2026
Drying unit completes installation and performance testing
Commissioning

CESHS finished testing a unit that runs on the well's natural temperature and flow, with no electricity.
July 12th, 2026
November 2025
Pumping test begins on Northeast India's first geothermal well
Testing

CESHS, supervised by NGI and Geotropy, started testing whether the Dirang reservoir could sustain production for heating, spas and agro-processing.
November 10th, 2025

Scenarios

Arunachal Pradesh commissions a second geothermal direct-use unit

Possible Resolves by Q1 2028

Discussed by: State officials and project partners, who described the Dirang unit as a step toward wider adoption

The pilot's performance data gives CESHS and the state science and technology department a case for a second site. Trigger: sustained well output through a full harvest season plus state budget allocation. The unit would likely be another agro-processing facility rather than a power plant, since the well's heat supports drying and heating directly.

Dirang unit stalls as a one-off demonstration

Possible Resolves by Q1 2028

Discussed by: Skeptics of Himalayan geothermal development, who note the region's long history of unexploited surveys

The facility keeps operating at pilot scale but no replication follows. Triggers would be a well that declines in output, drying capacity too small for local harvest volumes, or the end of Norwegian and Icelandic technical support without a domestic replacement. The unit would remain a training site rather than an industry.

Geothermal heat extends to building heating and spa tourism at Dirang

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2029

Discussed by: CESHS and project partners, who listed ground source heat pumps and hot spring spas as candidate uses

The same well that feeds the dryer could heat buildings or supply a spa. That requires different infrastructure and a commercial operator, so it is a slower path than another drying unit. Success would make Dirang a multi-use geothermal site rather than a single agricultural facility.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1930s

Reykjavik geothermal district heating (1930 onward)

Iceland began piping geothermal hot water into Reykjavik homes in the 1930s, replacing coal. The system expanded from a single well into a citywide network, and geothermal heat now supplies most Icelandic homes.

Then

Household heating costs fell and coal imports dropped.

Now

Iceland built technical expertise in direct-use geothermal that it now exports, including to the Dirang project through Geotropy.

Why this matters now

Dirang is a direct-use project, not a power plant. Iceland's path shows how a single well can become a heating system, and how that expertise becomes an export.

1976

Svartsengi Resource Park, Iceland (1976 onward)

Iceland built a facility that cascades geothermal energy through multiple uses: district heating, a lagoon, and industrial processes. The Blue Lagoon grew out of the plant's discharge water.

Then

One resource supported heating, tourism and industry at once.

Now

Cascaded use became a model for squeezing more value from a single geothermal well.

Why this matters now

The Dirang well could follow the same logic, moving from drying produce to heating buildings or supplying a spa.