The agreement was signed between the Arunachal Pradesh government’s Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies and the Norwegian firm under the India-Norway Green Partnership.
GUWAHATIThe Arunachal Pradesh government on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) signed a memorandum of understanding with Norway’s Tidal Sails AS to establish India’s first kinetic energy demonstration plant.A clean energy company based in Haugesund, Tidal Sails AS will help the State implement a 500 kW project to demonstrate a technology to generate electricity directly from river currents without requiring major civil infrastructure, offering an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective renewable energy solution.The agreement was signed between the Arunachal Pradesh government’s Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies and the Norwegian firm under the India-Norway Green Partnership. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Innovation Norway are supporting the project.The State’s Science and Technology Minister, Dasanglu Pul, said the agreement reflected a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and international cooperation for clean energy transition in Arunachal Pradesh, which has an estimated hydropower potential of 58,000 MW.“Our extensive river systems offer immense renewable energy potential. I am confident that the project would strengthen energy security while ensuring environmentally responsible utilisation of natural resources,” she said.The Norwegian Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, said Arunachal Pradesh’s river systems made it an ideal location to demonstrate river kinetic energy technology, which could complement existing renewable energy sources and enhance long-term energy security.She said the project emphasised the growing cooperation between Norway and Arunachal Pradesh in areas including geothermal energy, geotechnical engineering, and sustainable infrastructure. EOM Published - July 15, 2026 03:40 am IST
Femi Ezhuthupallickal Benny and Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, researchers from ATREE, recently discovered two new solitary bee species in Arunachal Pradesh, which have been named Elaphropoda triangulata and Habropoda adi. | The species, which belong to the genera Elaphropoda and Habropoda, have been named Elaphropoda triangulata, after the triangle-shaped markings on its abdomen, and Habropoda adi, after the Adi indigenous community of Arunachal Pradesh, which inhabits the region where the bees were collected.Ground-nesting solitary beesAccording to Femi Ezhuthupallickal Benny and Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, who conducted the study, these species belong to the bee subfamily Anthophorinae, which consists largely of ground-nesting solitary bees. They noted that, as vital pollinators, solitary bees have increasingly gained research and conservation attention in recent years. These species belong to the bee subfamily Anthophorinae, which consists largely of ground-nesting solitary bees. | How little we know“These bees are rare and seldom collected, which is part of the reason they have remained undescribed for so long. Their discovery is a reminder of how little we still know about bee diversity in India, and in Arunachal Pradesh in particular,” said Ms. Femi, who is currently pursuing a PhD at University College London.“This work takes on added urgency given the pace of change in the region. Arunachal Pradesh is currently undergoing rapid infrastructural development, including construction activities and a recently announced hydropower project, raising concerns about habitat disturbance in areas that have not yet been comprehensively surveyed,” said Dr. Priyadarsanan.Need for researchThe discovery of these two species, the authors said, strengthens the case for prioritising taxonomic and ecological research in the region before such habitats are altered. Of the 483 new species discovered in India last year, 65 were from Arunachal Pradesh. Published - July 14, 2026 08:27 pm IST
The governing body of the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) on Friday (July 10, 2026) gave the nod to four new conservation projects for river dolphins, snow leopards, wild water buffalo, and Indian rhinoceros.The projects approved are studies on the conservation and recovery action plan for river dolphins, Project Snow Leopard Phase-II (including the second cycle of population estimation), the conservation action plan for the Indian Rhinoceros, and a pan-India conservation approach for the wild water buffalo, all recommended by the executive committee of the CAMPA national authority.The governing body of National CAMPA, at its seventh meeting in Coimbatore under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, on Friday (July 10, 2026), also gave assent for continued support for the conservation of Manipur’s brow-antlered deer, Sangai.It approved the Aastha Van Sanrakshan Yojana, a new scheme with an initial corpus of ₹3,000 crore over five years (2026-27 to 2030-31) for the conservation and restoration of nearly 15,000 sacred groves across the country. It assessed the progress of net present value (NPV) and compensatory afforestation activities carried out by States and Union Territories, along with the status of CAMPA funds received, approved, and transferred during 2025-26.Establishment of a dedicated geospatial monitoring and evaluation system (GIS Lab) for the CAMPA national authority, a unified and technology-driven framework using satellite imagery, GIS platforms and field verification to enable transparent and scientific monitoring of compensatory afforestation, NPV-supported activities and ongoing CAMPA-funded schemes were also reviewed, a release said. Editorial | Worrying downgrade — On snow leopard conservationThe governing body appreciated operationalisation of the digital annual plan for the 2026-27 cycle, under which States and U.T.s are now required to prepare and submit their annual plans of operation exclusively through an online system.The governing body also noted that an amount of ₹88.40 crore has so far been released for plantation and restoration of mangroves across six States/U.T.s under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes. A revised outlay and three-year extension of the programme till 2029 with an additional ₹500 crore will take the overall outlay to ₹600 crore under a landscape-based, multi-ecosystem approach to coastal restoration.Under the Nagar Van Yojana, 652 Nagar Vans/Vatikas (urban forests/parks)have been developed with a release of ₹571.50 crore and ₹7.28 crore has been released to Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) under the Green Credit Scheme to promote plantation-based green cover expansion, said the release. Published - July 10, 2026 09:26 pm IST
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