Examine the potential of geothermal energy in India's clean-energy transition, citing the Puga Valley initiative.

Geothermal energy is heat from the Earth's interior, drawn up as hot water and steam. It is steady, low-carbon and does not depend on the weather [1]. India's theoretical potential is nearly 10.6 GW [1], so it can be a useful supplement to solar and wind. However, it is still at the demonstration stage.

Potential in the energy transition

• Round-the-clock power: unlike solar and wind, geothermal supplies power at all hours. This supports the Net Zero 2070 goal [1].
• Resource base: the GSI has mapped 381 hot springs in 10 geothermal provinces, including the Himalayan, SONATA and Cambay regions. 42 sites look promising [1].
• Direct use: space and district heating, cooling, agriculture and aquaculture. The National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025) also backs ground-source heat pumps [1][2].
• Reusing old oil and gas wells: a pilot at Ankleshwar is retrofitting such wells. A solar-geothermal hybrid in Gandhinagar has generated 50–90 kW [1].
• Green buildings: the new Leh airport terminal is India's first heated by geothermal energy together with solar [3].

Puga Valley initiative

• In July 2026, the ONGC Energy Centre commissioned India's first two geothermal wells, each about 1,000 m deep, at over 14,000 ft in Ladakh. Temperatures below the valley reach about 135°C [1].
• The wells will be used to test the reservoir and prepare for India's first 1 MW demonstration plant [1]. This marks a shift from surveying resources to field trials.

Challenges

• No commercial-scale plant yet. India's planned 1 MW is tiny next to global capacity of 15.67 GW [1].
• Moderate temperatures (70–80°C at Gandhinagar, up to 135°C at Puga) limit how much power each site can produce [1].
• Remote, fragile terrain: high-altitude sites are hard to reach and costly to connect to the grid.
• High upfront risk: drilling is expensive and uncertain. Private firms will invest only if the rules are clear [2].

Way forward

• Put the 2025 Policy into practice: a national geothermal data repository, Centres of Excellence and more pilot projects [1].
• Use newer technologies, i.e. Enhanced and Advanced Geothermal Systems, and build on partnerships with Iceland, Australia and Saudi Arabia [1].
• In the short term, focus on direct heating and hybrid projects.

Geothermal energy will not replace solar or wind, but its steady supply makes it a good partner for them. If Puga's demonstration is scaled up through the 2025 Policy, geothermal can give India local, all-hours clean energy, in line with SDG 7 and the Net Zero 2070 commitment.