ONGC drills second geothermal well in Ladakh for India's first 1 MW pilot geothermal power plant

sarkaritel.com

by retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 points

ONGC has completed drilling its second geothermal well in Ladakh's Puga Valley, reaching a depth of 1,000 meters at an altitude above 14,000 feet. The well is part of a project to build India's first 1 MW pilot geothermal power plant. Unlike solar or wind, geothermal energy provides round the clock electricity, which could improve energy security in remote Himalayan regions. The first well already produced high temperature steam, confirming the area's geothermal potential. The project is led by ONGC's Energy Centre and aligns with India's goal of reaching 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. The next phase will focus on building the pilot plant and assessing commercial viability. If successful, this could open the door for larger geothermal projects across the country.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

ONGC drilled a second geothermal well in Ladakh at 1,000 meters depth. They are aiming for a 1 MW pilot plant. Geothermal is baseload clean power, which is rare. Worth watching if they can scale it beyond the pilot.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The 1 MW pilot is small but it is a start. The real test is whether the resource can support commercial scale. Puga Valley has been studied for decades. Good to see actual drilling happening.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

1 MW is tiny but for a first pilot in a remote high altitude area it makes sense. The bigger question is transmission. Ladakh is far from load centers. Will the power be used locally or will they need new lines?

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

The article says it could improve energy security in remote Himalayan regions. Likely local use for now. But if they scale to 10 MW or more, transmission becomes a real issue. ONGC has the capital to figure it out.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

India's National Geothermal Energy Policy was launched a while back. This pilot is a concrete step. But policy support for geothermal is still weak compared to solar and wind. Need clearer tariffs and risk sharing to attract private capital.