Geothermal Energy in India: Puga Valley Deep Wells, 10.6 GW | CurrentPulse AI
Geothermal Energy in India: Puga Valley Deep Wells, 10.6 GW Potential and the Search for Round-the-Clock Clean Power
📅 Published 5 September 2026•Updated 12 September 2026•⏱ 18 min read•Energy, Geography and Clean TechnologyGS Paper I, GS Paper III
Geothermal Energy in India: Puga Valley Deep Wells,
10.6 GW Potential and the Search for
Round-the-Clock Clean Power
Energy, Geography and Clean Technology GS Paper I, GS Paper III5 September 2026 Read highlighted facts first
FASTREAD - read only this box if short on time
India's geothermal push is centred on Puga Valley, Ladakh, where two approximately 1,000-metre-deep wells have been
commissioned.
India's theoretical geothermal potential is estimated at about 10.6 GW, with hundreds of hot springs mapped across multiple
geothermal provinces.
The Puga programme is intended to support a 1 MW demonstration-scale geothermal plant and the wider Carbon-Neutral
Ladakh vision.
Unlike solar and wind, geothermal can provide firm, round-the-clock baseload energy where a viable reservoir exists.
Key constraints are high drilling risk, remote logistics, reservoir uncertainty, induced seismicity and upfront capital cost.
WHYINNEWS
Geothermal energy returned to the current-affairs spotlight after progress at Puga Valley in Ladakh, one of India's best-known
geothermal fields.
The development matters because India's renewable transition increasingly needs sources that complement variable solar and wind
generation with dependable output.
The issue also links physical geography - tectonics, faults, hot springs and crustal heat - with energy security, local development and
climate policy.
TOPDATA & FACTS
Geothermal energy is heat derived from the Earth's interior; it may be used directly for heating or converted into electricity.
Earth's internal heat comes from primordial heat and continuing radioactive decay of isotopes such as uranium, thorium and potassium.
Hydrothermal systems require heat, permeable rock and circulating fluid; wells tap hot water or steam stored in subsurface reservoirs.
India's theoretical geothermal electricity potential is often cited at roughly 10,600 MW (10.6 GW).
Geological mapping has identified 381 natural hot springs across several geothermal provinces.
Major provinces include the Himalayan belt, Naga-Lusai belt, Andaman-Nicobar arc, lineament, Cambay basin, west
coast, Mahanadi basin, Godavari basin and South Indian cratonic region.
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Puga Valley lies in the high-altitude Changthang region of Ladakh and is characterised by hot springs, sulphur deposits and geothermal
manifestations.
The current Puga effort involves ONGC Energy Centre, Ladakh authorities and local institutions.
Two deep production wells of about 1,000 m are a major step toward reservoir testing and a demonstration plant.
Geothermal plants may use dry steam, flash steam or binary-cycle technology depending on temperature and fluid characteristics.
Binary-cycle systems can use moderate-temperature geothermal fluid to vaporise a secondary working fluid with a lower boiling point.
Reinjection of cooled geothermal fluid helps maintain reservoir pressure and reduces surface disposal.
Ground-source heat pumps are a different application: they exploit shallow, relatively stable ground temperature for heating and cooling.
Abandoned oil and gas wells can sometimes be assessed for geothermal reuse, reducing part of the drilling burden.
Geothermal resources are highly site-specific; theoretical heat potential does not automatically translate into economically recoverable
electricity.
Geothermal exploration follows a risk ladder: reconnaissance mapping, geochemistry, geophysics, slim-hole or exploratory drilling,
production testing and only then full plant design; each stage should reduce uncertainty before the next large expenditure.
Temperature alone is insufficient. Commercial performance also depends on sustainable fluid flow, permeability, reservoir recharge,
scaling, corrosion, reinjection behaviour and the distance between wells and the power plant.
HISTORICALPERSPECTIVE
Humans have used hot springs for bathing and heating for centuries, but commercial geothermal electricity emerged in the twentieth
century.
India investigated geothermal prospects for decades, especially in Himalayan and rift-related zones, yet commercial deployment
remained limited compared with solar and wind.
Earlier constraints included uncertain reservoirs, expensive drilling, lack of specialised equipment and the absence of a dedicated policy
framework.
The **National Policy **on Geothermal Energy, 2025 signalled a stronger attempt to move from resource identification to demonstrations,
direct-heat applications and commercial learning.
Puga is important as a technology-learning project: even a small pilot can provide reservoir, drilling, corrosion and reinjection data for
future sites.
ECONOMICPERSPECTIVE
Geothermal plants have high exploration and drilling costs but relatively low fuel costs because no purchased fuel is required.
A successful plant can deliver a high capacity factor, making each megawatt more consistently available than intermittent renewable
capacity.
Remote Himalayan projects face expensive roads, drilling mobilisation, winter logistics and specialised maintenance.
Local direct-use applications - greenhouses, space heating, food drying or tourism facilities - may be economic even where electricity
generation is not.
Domestic drilling capability developed by the oil and gas sector can lower learning costs if equipment and expertise are adapted safely.
Project appraisal should distinguish resource potential from bankable reserves; failed wells can make early-stage geothermal investment
risky.
Public support is most useful for exploration data, pilot drilling and risk-sharing rather than permanently shielding uneconomic projects.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems attempt to create or improve permeability in hot dry rock, potentially widening the resource base, but they
demand sophisticated drilling and especially careful seismic-risk management.
For isolated grids, geothermal's dependable output can have system value beyond the price of each unit of electricity because it may
reduce storage, diesel backup and transmission requirements.
GEOGRAPHICALPERSPECTIVE
Geothermal resources cluster around tectonic boundaries, rifts, deep faults and volcanically influenced regions because these pathways
bring heat closer to the surface.
The Himalayan geothermal province reflects an active tectonic environment created by the Indian-Eurasian plate collision.
The SONATA lineament - Son-Narmada-Tapi structural zone - is another important geothermal corridor in central India.
Island arcs such as the Andaman-Nicobar region have a different tectonic setting associated with subduction and volcanism.
High-altitude Ladakh combines strong resource indications with severe accessibility, water-management and construction challenges.
Geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys must be integrated before drilling; a hot spring alone does not prove a commercial
reservoir.
ENVIRONMENTALPERSPECTIVE
Operational geothermal power has low direct carbon emissions compared with fossil generation, but lifecycle emissions depend on
drilling, construction and reservoir chemistry.
Some reservoirs release dissolved carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide or mineral-rich brines; these require monitoring and treatment.
Reinjection can reduce water contamination and maintain reservoir pressure but must be designed to avoid unwanted migration.
Fluid withdrawal and reinjection can occasionally trigger induced seismicity, especially in enhanced geothermal systems.
Fragile high-altitude ecosystems require careful siting of roads, pads, pipelines and waste handling.
Water use, brine disposal and impacts on culturally or ecologically important hot springs must be assessed before scale-up.
SOCIALPERSPECTIVE
Reliable local energy can reduce dependence on diesel in remote settlements and support public services.
Geothermal heating could improve winter energy access where technical and economic conditions permit.
Projects should consult local communities because hot springs may have cultural, tourism or livelihood significance.
Training local technicians can retain part of the economic benefit in the region.
Transparent disclosure of seismic, water and land impacts is essential for trust in experimental projects.
POLITICAL / GOVERNANCEPERSPECTIVE
Geothermal development cuts across energy, geology, environment, water, land and local-government institutions.
A national resource database can prevent duplicated drilling and make publicly funded geological information reusable.
Pilot projects should publish temperature, flow-rate, chemistry and reinjection results where commercially and strategically appropriate.
Clear rules are needed for subsurface rights, environmental appraisal, water extraction and long-term reservoir stewardship.
Policy should support multiple uses - electricity, heating, cooling and industrial heat - rather than treating geothermal only as grid power.
India should distinguish high-temperature electricity resources from low-temperature direct-heat resources; a site unsuitable for a turbine
may still support heating, drying, bathing, aquaculture or ground-source cooling.
Long-term reservoir stewardship is crucial: excessive extraction can reduce pressure or temperature, while well-designed reinjection can
extend productive life and limit surface discharge.
PROS
Provides 24x7 renewable energy where reservoirs are viable.
Can complement solar and wind variability.
Offers direct-heat and cooling applications.
Uses a small surface footprint per unit of dependable output.
Can reuse selected oil-and-gas skills and infrastructure.
May improve energy resilience in remote regions.
CONS
Exploration wells are expensive and can fail.
Resources are geographically limited.
High-altitude logistics raise costs.
Brines and gases require careful management.
Induced seismicity is a potential risk.
Commercial performance in India is still largely unproven.
ACTIONABLEROADMAP
Complete Puga reservoir testing before aggressive scale-up.
Create a transparent national geothermal atlas with bankable resource classifications.
Use staged exploration so public money is not committed before subsurface evidence improves.
Develop domestic high-temperature drilling, corrosion-control and binary-cycle capability.
Mandate reinjection, water-quality and seismic monitoring.
Use oil-and-gas data to identify suitable depleted wells for heat recovery.
Protect fragile Himalayan landscapes and local hot-spring uses.
Because exploration data have public-good characteristics, a national repository of well logs, heat-flow measurements and geochemistry
can reduce repeated public expenditure and improve private investment decisions.
Success at Puga should be judged not only by megawatts generated but by the quality of geological knowledge, local capacity and
replicable operating standards created for future Indian projects.
QUICKREVISION
India's geothermal push is centred on Puga Valley, Ladakh, where two approximately 1,000-metre-deep wells have been
commissioned.
India's theoretical geothermal potential is estimated at about 10.6 GW, with hundreds of hot springs mapped across multiple geothermal
provinces.
The Puga programme is intended to support a 1 MW demonstration-scale geothermal plant and the wider Carbon-Neutral Ladakh
vision.
Unlike solar and wind, geothermal can provide firm, round-the-clock baseload energy where a viable reservoir exists.
Key constraints are high drilling risk, remote logistics, reservoir uncertainty, induced seismicity and upfront capital cost.
PROBABLEOBJECTIVEQUESTION
Consider the following statements about geothermal energy in India:
Puga Valley is located in Ladakh.
Geothermal energy can potentially provide round-the-clock power.
Every mapped hot spring is automatically a commercially viable electricity resource.
Answer: 1 and 2 only.
PROBABLEDESCRIPTIVEQUESTION
Explain the geological basis of geothermal energy. Evaluate its potential and limitations as a source of firm clean energy for India.
VERIFIEDOFFICIALREFERENCES
PIB backgrounder on Geothermal Energy, 4 September 2026.