India’s effort to set up a new research base in the Antarctica has been cleared for environmental impact. The research station, the country’s third and to be based at the Larsemann Hills on the eastern coast of Antarctica, met with the approval of the icy continent’s Committee For Environmental Protection (CEP) on Monday.

“We have found the Indian proposal consistent with the environmental norms,” said the CEP Chairman Neil Gilbert in Delhi at the plenary session of the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). The ATCM is likely come out with its official decision on the proposed Indian research base on the concluding day on Friday.

After the official nod from the ATCM, India would be required to submit its detailed project report to the Atlantic Treaty Secretariat before the next ATCM, which is scheduled in Ukraine next year.

Under the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, ratified by 46 countries including India, the ATCM is the final authority for the icy continent. India is hosting the ATCM for the first time after ratifying the treaty around 25 years ago.