SYLLABUS

GS-3: Infrastructure: Energy; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Context: In a major push towards clean energy, Ladakh is set to host India’s first geothermal power project at the high-altitude Puga Valley. 

More on the News

• Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena, has approved the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 5 years with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for setting up India’s first geothermal power project at Puga Valley in Ladakh, at an altitude of over 14,000 ft.

• Under the agreement, ONGC Energy Centre will establish a 1 MWe pilot geothermal power plant at Puga Valley, located at an altitude of over 14,000 feet in Ladakh. 

• ONGC will deepen the existing geothermal well to 1,000 metres and drill another geothermal well in the next phase. 

• The pilot plant is expected to be tested and commissioned during FY 2026–27. 

• The project aims to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for large-scale commercial exploitation of geothermal energy in Ladakh, particularly in the Puga and Chumathang regions of the Himalayan geothermal belt. 

About Geothermal Energy

• Geothermal energy is heating energy obtained from beneath the Earth’s crust (“geo” = earth, “thermal” = heat). 

• The heat originates from the Earth’s core and naturally warms underground rocks and water reservoirs. 

• Wells are drilled into underground geothermal reservoirs to extract steam and hot water for electricity generation and direct heating applications. 

• Major Applications:

o Electricity Generation: Steam generated from underground heat drives turbines to produce electricity. 

o Heating and Cooling: Geothermal heat pumps are used for space heating, cooling and district heating systems. 

o Direct Use Applications: Includes greenhouse heating, aquaculture, food drying, tourism, industrial heating and cold storage facilities. 

Sources of Geothermal Energy

• High-temperature geothermal resources are commonly found in volcanic and tectonically active regions with hot springs, geysers and underground steam reservoirs. 

• Geothermal systems are generally classified into high, medium and low enthalpy systems based on underground reservoir temperature.

• In India, geothermal potential is concentrated mainly in the Himalayan geothermal belt, Cambay Graben, SONATA region, West Coast, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 

Potential in India

• India has an estimated geothermal potential of around 10,600 MW, with the Geological Survey of India (GSI) identifying 381 hot springs and 42 promising geothermal sites for power generation and direct-use applications. 

• GSI has identified 10 geothermal provinces in India: Himalayan Geothermal Province, Naga-Lusai, Andaman Nicobar Islands, Son-Narmada Tapi (SONATA), West Coast, Cambay Graben, Aravalli, Mahanadi, Godavari, and South Indian Cratonic.

• The IEA projects India’s geothermal market potential at 4.2 GW by 2035 and nearly 100 GW by 2045.

• Globally, less than 17 GW of geothermal capacity is operational, led by the US, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

• The National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025) aims to make geothermal energy a major pillar of India’s renewable energy transition, supporting energy security and the 2070 Net Zero Goal through international cooperation, technology transfer, and joint R&D.