“Hum Jyada se jyada atamanirbhar ho”, PM Modi`s statement in Rajya Sabha on the West Asia war and the prevailing oil crisis, echoes on many fronts of the economy worldwide and focusses on ‘Self-Reliance’. This is exactly what I felt when I recently visited India’s First Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant in Lakshadweep, a project that is not just about converting ocean water into drinking water, but about energy independence, strategic security, and technological self-reliance.
Read Full Story
Surrounded by endless blue waters, Lakshadweep has long-lived with a paradox: water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Now, that reality is set to change.
FROM ISRAEL’S BREAKTHROUGH TO INDIA’S BLUEPRINT
Before I talk about Lakshadweep in detail, let me take you back to the year 2017 in Israel on Olga beach. PM Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu were together visiting a desalination plant. The roots of this transformation trace back from there.
Alongside Netanyahu, PM Modi was taken to a state-of-the-art desalination facility.
Operated by GL Water Technologies, the plant showcased how seawater could be converted into potable water at scale.
Israel, one of the driest nations on Earth, had already turned desalination into a national strength, producing more freshwater than it needs.
Later that year, during Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to India, both countries signed agreements on desalination cooperation, setting the stage for India’s own journey.
LAKSHADWEEP’S BIG LEAP: WATER AND POWER TOGETHER
Cut to the year 2026, I have this imprint of India’s transformation into this technology in my mind, and I became curious to understand the execution of this tech on this tiny but fully developed and beautiful coral island known for its beautiful lagoons and beaches.
My flight from Delhi Airport to Kavaratti, the capital of the Union Territory, was full of this thought and with a clean blue water view from the sky. For decades, Lakshadweep has relied on diesel shipped from mainland India to generate electricity, a costly and fragile supply chain, especially during the rough monsoon months.
What makes India’s Lakshadweep project unique is that it goes beyond Israel’s model. Instead of just producing drinking water, the OTEC plant generates electricity using the ocean temperature difference, desalinating seawater into potable water, reducing dependence on diesel imports, and creating a self-sustaining island ecosystem.
Our journalistic journey started at the plant, where a few local residents from the surrounding area narrated the impact of drinking water generated from the desalination plant on their lives.
And with the double benefit of electricity generation from the currently developing project, they believe even bigger transformations will follow.
“Earlier, we didn’t have this facility, but now everyone is using desalinated water; we now have clean drinking water,” said Karuna, a local from Lakshadweep.
Many other locals shared the story of a real tea and coffee flavour, which was missing so far in their palate taste without purified water.
This made me realise the hardship and life without safe and portable drinking water.
I was curious now. Union MoS (Independent Charge) Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh drank the same treated glass of water, and so did I.
But this time was different. Each sip was filled with pride this time; it truly felt like India’s transformational indigenous capability in every sense, with a top-up benefit of generating electricity from the same marine resource.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
After visiting this desalination plant, we reached the site where the massive pipes were being constructed. These pipes will eventually be laid deep into the sea, from where cold water will be drawn out.
That cold water will then be used in combination with the warmer surface water of the sea to generate electricity. Scientifically, the warm surface seawater (30°C) is drawn into cold deep-sea water (<8°C) and is pumped from 1,000 metres.
The temperature difference drives a thermodynamic cycle. Water evaporates and condenses into fresh drinking water. Simultaneously, clean electricity is generated.
This dual-output system makes it a first-of-its-kind integrated facility in India.
Watching this process unfold was deeply satisfying because it showed how India is indigenising every important part of this entire technological process.
NEW OTEC-POWERED DESALINATION PLANT CHANGES EQUATION
By then, we returned to our hotel to take a quick food break just to find that the facility was facing a power shortage, and the Union Minister was already seated in the lobby.
His quick reply came with reassurance for Future, “Lakshadweep was heading towards a future where such situations would soon become a thing of the past. The government is prioritising island territories and the Blue Economy as a major component of India’s growth story”.
Some local residents amplify the logic with tourism growth on an upward trajectory with no electricity shortage.
At present, diesel for power generation is brought in from the mainland, from Kochi and other places.
But once Lakshadweep becomes fully self-reliant, it will not only mark a major shift in the energy sector but will also improve storage capacity for many essential goods.
By producing renewable power locally, the islands can cut down on fuel transport costs, reduce carbon emissions and ensure an uninterrupted power supply.
STRATEGIC SIGNAL AMID GLOBAL TENSIONS
The importance of desalination infrastructure isn’t just developmental, it’s also strategic.
On March 7, 2026, during the early days of escalating tensions involving Iran, Tehran alleged that a desalination plant on Qeshm Island was attacked, disrupting water supply to 30 villages.
Whether confirmed or not, the incident underscores a key reality. Water infrastructure is now a strategic asset and a potential vulnerability.
For India, building indigenous desalination capacity in remote island territories like Lakshadweep enhances resilience during crises, reduces reliance on external supply chains, and strengthens maritime and national security.
It also boosts tourism, livelihoods, and the Blue Economy. Lakshadweep, once constrained by geography, could become a model for sustainable island development.
SHIFT FROM TECH ADOPTION TO TECH INNOVATION
By integrating OTEC + desalination, India is not just solving a problem, it is creating a new template for island nations worldwide.
From Olga Beach of Israel in 2017 to India’s Lakshadweep in 2026, the arc is clear – India is no longer just learning from global models, it is building its own.
– Ends
Published On:
Mar 25, 2026 23:27 IST
