Author: PPD Team Date: 07/05/2025
The Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS) has drilled a geothermal production well in Dirang. The project will be implemented in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Dirang is located in a medium-to-high enthalpy geothermal zone with underground temperatures around 115°C. The site’s geological features allow for efficient drilling with limited environmental impact.
The project is a collaboration between CESHS, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Icelandic firm Geotropy ehf, and Guwahati Boring Service (GBS). It is supported by the Arunachal Pradesh government and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has studied 381 thermally anomalous areas across the country. It published the Geothermal Atlas of India, 2022, which estimates a potential of about 10,600 MW of geothermal power.
Key geothermal zones include the Himalayan region, such as Puga Valley and Chhumathang in Ladakh, and Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, the Western Ghats, and Gujarat’s Cambay region. Other regions include the SONATA basin, Godavari and Krishna-Godavari basins, Tattapani in Chhattisgarh, and the west coast continental margin.
Several initiatives are underway. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is developing India’s first geothermal plant in Puga Valley. A plant is already functional in Manikaran. In Telangana, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has commissioned a 20 kW pilot plant in the Manuguru area of Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The plant uses a closed-loop Binary Organic Rankine Cycle Process and has been successfully demonstrated.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) supports geothermal energy under its Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme (RE-RTD). It funds up to 100% of R&D costs for government and non-profit research bodies, and up to 70% for private sector and industry participants. However, no specific allocation has been made for geothermal energy in MNRE’s R&D budget over the last five years. The Ministry of Coal has allocated Rs 2.42 crore, which was used to establish the Manuguru pilot plant.
India has engaged in international cooperation to advance geothermal efforts. Under a 2007 MoU with Iceland, geothermal energy is a key focus. An MoU signed with Saudi Arabia in 2019 also includes geothermal as a cooperation area. The Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP), launched in August 2023 between India and the United States, identifies geothermal as a priority technology.