WHY IN NEWS
- On 4 September 2026, PIB highlighted India's National Policy on Geothermal Energy and the commissioning of the first two geothermal wells in Ladakh.
- Geothermal energy is strategically relevant because it can provide low-carbon power or direct heat round the clock,
- nlike variable solar and wind generation.
- The development connects India's Net Zero 2070 pathway with Himalayan geology, energy security, remote-area development, district heating and clean industrial heat.
- For UPSC, the key distinction is between electricity generation from high-temperature resources and direct-use applications such as space heating, greenhouses, bathing, drying and industrial processes.
TOP DATA & FACTS FOR UPSC
- PIB backgrounder date: 4 September 2026.
- India's net-zero target year is 2070.
- The recent Ladakh demonstration involves the first 2 geothermal wells.
- Geothermal energy can provide availability across 24 hours when the reservoir is sustainably managed.
- The Earth's crust averages roughly 30 km thickness under continents but varies greatly.
- Temperature typically rises with depth according to a geothermal gradient often expressed in °C per km.
- India has hundreds of identified hot-spring and geothermal manifestations across several provinces.
- Ladakh is a high-altitude cold-desert region where direct heating can have high local value.
- A geothermal project lifecycle includes at least 4 stages: exploration, drilling, reservoir testing and utilisation.
- Three common power technologies are dry steam, flash steam and binary-cycle systems.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
- Hot springs have long been used in India for bathing and religious purposes, but modern geothermal policy requires subsurface science, drilling and reservoir management rather than surface-temperature observation alone.
- Globally, geothermal electricity developed first in tectonically active areas such as Italy, Iceland, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines and the western United States.
- India historically prioritised coal, hydropower, nuclear and later solar and wind. Geothermal remained a niche research field because exploration and drilling risks are front-loaded.
- Renewed interest reflects the changing power system: as variable renewables rise, firm low-carbon resources gain value for balancing and resilience.
- Ladakh has long been studied for geothermal potential, especially around hot-spring zones; demonstration wells move the policy debate from maps toward measured reservoir performance.