India has decided to build a new research station in Antarctica, replacing its “very old” predecessor Maitri station.

The Maitri-2 station will be established in East Antarctica near the existing one, and it will be able to house about 90 scientists. The establishment of the new research facility will enhance the quality of Indian research regarding the White Continent.

The existing station, Maitri, was set up in 1988 and was supposed to be operational for ten years only.

There was a need to replace the 35-year-old facility for two decades, but it was only in 2017 that then-secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, revealed that the government planned to replace the Maitri station “in the next three to four years.”

India’s Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju on December 21 stated that the station will be ready to use by 2029, as reported by media.

In a written reply to the parliament’s upper house, Rajya Sabha, the minister stated that the site for the new research station -- Maitri-II -- has been identified and a preliminary topographical survey for the approach road is underway.

The new research base will adhere to environmental protocols laid out by international bodies and the Indian Antarctic Act passed in 2022.

“India passed the Indian Antarctic Act in 2022. Moreover, the Indian Antarctic Environmental Protection Rules, 2023, clearly state our commitment to protect the Antarctic environment,” said Dr Thamban Meloth, director at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).

Goa-based NCPOR has already submitted a proposal for the approval of the central government.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences has already approved a design competition for the upcoming project.

According to NCPOR, master planning, hiring of consultants and designing of the infrastructure will take 18 months, after which the contract of the project will be awarded.

India’s strategic Antarctica move comes at a time when China is making wide strides in the research space for the White Continent.

China is already on its way to building its fifth research base on the continent, for which it has dispatched more than 450 personnel to the snowy continent.