Baseload renewable sources are critical for a reliable clean-energy grid. Evaluate geothermal energy's role in this context.

Solar and wind produce power only when the sun shines or the wind blows. A clean grid therefore also needs baseload sources, which supply power all day and night. Geothermal energy uses heat from the Earth's interior and does not depend on weather. It is a strong candidate for this role, but in India today its value is local rather than national.

Merits as a baseload source

• Round-the-clock supply: Geothermal output does not change with day, night or season. It can firm up a grid that relies heavily on solar and wind [1].
• Remote, off-grid areas: In cold, high-altitude places like Ladakh, steady local power matters more than cost per unit. The ONGC Energy Centre commissioned India's first two geothermal wells, each 1,000 m deep, at Puga in July 2026 [1].
• Direct heat saves electricity: Geothermal cooling in Hyderabad and Ground Source Heat Pumps heat or cool buildings directly [1]. This cuts peak electricity demand.
• Policy backing: The National Policy on Geothermal Energy (notified 15 September 2025) allows unused oil and gas wells to be turned into geothermal wells [2]. A pilot is running at Ankleshwar [1].

Limitations

• Low temperatures: The hottest water found under Puga is 135°C [1]. At Gandhinagar, 70–80°C fluid gives only 50–90 kW [1]. That is too cool for large turbines.
• Potential exists only on paper: The 10,600 MW figure is a theoretical estimate from GSI's Geothermal Atlas (2022) [2]. Only 42 of 381 hot springs are rated promising, and only for further exploration [2].
• Small scale: The first target is a 1 MW demonstration plant, and PIB says commercial-scale generation is "yet to be established" [1].
• Unresolved drilling risk: The policy sets no capacity target, tariff or plan for sharing the cost of dry wells [1][2]. So far, only the public sector has drilled.

Evaluation Geothermal is a real baseload source in principle. In India it will be a niche resource, useful for local grids and heating/cooling, not a pillar of the national grid.

On balance, geothermal cannot replace storage or hydro as the grid's main balancing source. It can still add firm, low-carbon power where it is needed most. India should open the national data repository promised under the policy, reuse old oil wells to cut drilling risk, and fund heat-first projects. This would advance SDG 7 (affordable, clean energy) and India's Net Zero 2070 goal.