Union Earth Sciences Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today said that a first-of-its-kind integrated plant is being established on Kavaratti island of Lakshadweep. He underlined that the facility is designed to simultaneously convert seawater into drinking water and generate electricity. Dr Singh made these remarks following a progress review of India’s inaugural Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)-powered desalination plant on Kavaratti Island. Speaking to Akashvani News, he noted that this pilot project will eventually supply approximately one lakh litres of drinking water daily while also producing 60 kilowatts of electricity.

This project holds crucial national importance, as Lakshadweep currently depends entirely on diesel generator sets for electricity. This results in high generation costs and environmental concerns. The OTEC-powered desalination plant offers a clean alternative by harnessing the ocean’s natural thermal gradient to generate electricity and freshwater simultaneously. The electricity produced will fully power the desalination system, making the plant self-sustaining and independent of diesel or grid supply.