1. The two geothermal wells are critical for the successful implementation of the 1 MW pilot geothermal power project at Puga, which will be India’s first demonstration-scale geothermal power project. These two wells at 1000-meter-deep are commissioned at the height of over 14,000 feet.
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2. To utilize the thermal energy, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released the National Policy on Geothermal Energy 2025 in September last year. The policy comes after a task force on harnessing geothermal energy in India was formed by the MNRE in August 2024.
3. The policy aims to establish geothermal energy as one of the major pillars of India’s renewable energy landscape, reinforcing the commitment to achieve the 2070 Net Zero Goal, and ensuring energy security.
What is geothermal energy?
4. Thermal Energy is the energy that determines the temperature or generates heat in matter. In Geothermal energy, the heat and electricity is produced by using the heat from the interior of the Earth. Geothermal energy exists because the Earth grows progressively hotter with increasing depth. Where the geothermal gradient is high, high temperatures are found at shallow depths.
5. Due to the high temperature, the groundwater in such areas absorbs heat from the rocks and becomes hot, which turns into steam. This steam is used to drive turbines and generate electricity. It is a site-specific renewable source of energy specifically suitable for catering to the energy needs of remote/interior localities.
6. There are several hundred hot springs in India that can be utilised to generate geothermal energy. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has mapped 381 hot springs nationwide with surface temperatures between 35°C and 89°C.
Climate goal targets
India has promised to ensure that at least 60 per cent of its total electricity generation capacity would comprise non-fossil fuel sources by 2035, as per India’s third nationally-determined contribution (NDCs) submitted last year. Also, at COP-26, the Government has set a target of 500 GW Non-fossil energy capacity by 2030. |
7. India has an estimated 10.6 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal potential, which could rise with further exploration. Key sites lie in the Himalayan Geothermal Province — covering Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal Pradesh — as well as the Cambay Graben in Gujarat, home to several abandoned oil wells, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
8. Globally, less than 17 GW of geothermal capacity is harnessed, led by the US, Indonesia, and the Philippines, while countries like Iceland and Norway have pioneered innovative technologies in the sector. The IEA estimates India’s geothermal market potential to grow to 4.2 GW by 2035 and nearly 100 GW by 2045.
Types of Geothermal Power Plants:
(i) Dry Steam Plants: It takes the steam out of fractures in the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine
(ii) Flash Plants: In this, they pull deep, high-pressure hot water into cooler low-pressure water. The steam then resulting from this process is used to drive the turbine
(iii) Binary Plants: The hot water is passed by a secondary fluid with a lower boiling point than actual which makes it turn into vapour. This then drives the turbine.
What are the advantages of Geothermal energy?
⇒ According to the International Energy Agency, geothermal could meet up to 15% of global electricity demand growth by 2050.
⇒ It can provide around-the-clock electricity generation, heat production and storage. On average, global geothermal capacity had a utilisation rate over 75% in 2023, compared with less than 30% for wind power and less than 15% for solar PV.
⇒ Unlike many other renewable energies, geothermal energy is always available. It doesn’t face constraints like those faced by solar and wind energy. This helps in predictable planning of the roadmap.
⇒ According to a report by the World Bank published in 2023, geothermal energy is the type of renewable energy that generates the most employment per unit of installed capacity.
According to the National Policy on Geothermal Energy, the potential Geothermal Reservoirs in India are:
(a) Puga, Chumathang, Gaik, Demchok, Nubra, (Panamik), Galhar, in UT, Ladakh
(b) Sidhu, Jammu and Kashmir
(c) Manikaran, Kasol, Tattapani, Tapri in Himachal Pradesh
(d) Tapoban, Gari, Joshimath, Juma, Jamunotri, Ganganani, Beda, Joti, Nyu, Dar, Bheti in Uttarakhand
(e) Tsachu (Tawang), Takshing, Arunachal Pradesh
(f) Polok, Yumesamdong, Sikkim
(g) Sohna, Haryana
(h) Bhimband (Munger), Bihar
(i) Surajkund, Tantloi, in Jharkhand
(j) Bakreshwar, West Bengal
(k) Tattapani in Chhattisgarh
(l) Anhoni, Madhya Pradesh
(m) Dholera, Tuwa, Tulsishyam, Gujarat
(n) Deulajhari (Athmallik), Attri, Odisha
(o) Unhavare (Khed), Sativali, Tural, Maharashtra
(p) Manuguru, Telangana
BEYOND THE NUGGET: Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS)
1. The government is also promoting international collaboration and cooperation with state governments, oil and gas companies, and research institutions. United States is exploring its first large-scale commercial enhanced geothermal system (EGS) power generator. The Enhanced Geothermal System is a technology that harnesses hot dry rock energy. Utilizing hot dry rock (HDR) as a source of renewable and environmentally acceptable energy to produce power is rather a novel concept, as per EIA.
2. EGS is different from the conventional geothermal system. In conventional geothermal systems, electricity is generated using hot water or steam pumped from naturally occurring hydrothermal reservoirs that are trapped in underground permeable and porous rock formations. These hydrothermal reservoirs are found in limited locations, typically near tectonic plate boundaries or volcanic hotspots. While EGS incorporates newer drilling technologies developed for upstream oil and natural gas production, such as horizontal drilling and fracking, to create hydrothermal reservoirs where they don’t currently exist.
3. “In an EGS, fluid is injected deep underground under carefully controlled conditions to create new fractures and cause pre-existing fractures to re-open, creating permeability. Increased permeability allows fluid to circulate throughout the more fractured hot rock, and the fluid becomes hot as it circulates”, as per the US Department of Energy.
Post Read Questions
(1) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2013)
1. Electromagnetic radiation
2. Geothermal energy
3. Gravitational force
4. Plate movements
5. Rotation of the earth
6. Revolution of the earth
Which of the above are responsible for bringing dynamic changes on the surface of the earth?
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3, 5 and 6 only
(c) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
(2) Consider the following statements: (CAPF 2023)
1. Geothermal energy can be used to produce electricity or it can be used directly for industry, agriculture, building and cleaning.
2. Nuclear energy is often cheaper than some other sources of electricity.
3. Thermal power stations burn fossil fuels to create steam to drive the turbines.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Answer Key
1. (d) 2. (c)
(Sources: Govt to push geothermal pilots under new policy; Iceland, Norway firms eye sites in Uttarakhand, Arunachal, National policy on geothermal energy, eia.gov, energy.gov)
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The two geothermal wells are critical for the successful implementation of the 1 MW pilot geothermal power project at Puga, Ladakh. (AI generated image) 
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