Geothermal Energy in India: Current Status and Future Prospects

Geothermal energy refers to the energy derived from the Earth’s heat and is a promising renewable resource, that can be harnessed for electricity generation, direct heating, and other industrial applications. Although geothermal energy has been utilized for various applications in several parts of the world for decades, its potential remains largely untapped in India. India’s geothermal energy development is still in the nascent stage compared to other renewable resources like solar and wind. However, given the country's growing energy demand and commitment to sustainable energy solutions, geothermal energy could play an important role in the coming future.

Over the last few decades, the identification of surface manifestation, followed by geological, geochemical, and geophysical investigations by the Geological Survey of India, the National Geophysical Research Institute, and many other organisations, demarcated ten geothermal provinces in India. Studies indicate that geothermal potential in India is mostly concentrated in the hot spring regions, which are connected to the deep geothermal reservoir by fault and fracture systems. These need to be explored further for exploitation based on their reservoir potential and sustainability.

In recent years, the Government of India has taken initiatives to carry out detailed geothermal exploration, which will be followed by exploitation in most potential zones. Based on the knowledge, three regions have been identified, and work is in progress by various research organisations and government/private institutions for exploration and exploitation. These are (i) Puga-Chumathang-Panamik in the Ladakh Himalayas, (ii) Tattapani in Central India, and (iii) Manuguru in the Godavari Gondwana basin. Hydrogeochemical and multiparametric geophysical investigations are underway in the above regions. Recent thermal, geological, and hydrogeochemical results, along with the previous knowledge from the Ladakh Himalaya and Central India indicate spatial distribution of the geothermal reservoir with medium to high enthalpy geothermal potentials. This will be followed by drilling exploratory wells, to constrain various geothermal parameters. These efforts mark a critical step towards harnessing India’s geothermal resources for sustainable energy production.