According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India will be the third-largest next-generation geothermal power capacity market by 2050. Geothermal, or heat, energy is a renewable source that comes from the earth’s core and is used for various purposes, including heating and electricity generation.
Key Highlights of Report
- China, the US and India have the largest market potential for next-generation geothermal electricity, together accounting for three-quarters of the global total.
- In India, potential for conventional geothermal is highly limited. However, at a depth of 5 km the country’s potential grows considerably to around 14 terawatts (TW).
- Within Gujarat state, the eastern coast of Andhra Pradesh and the central Son Narmada Fault Zone are among the key areas for geothermal power generation development.
- Currently, geothermal meets less than 1 per cent of global energy demand and its use is concentrated in a few countries with easily accessible and high-quality resources, including the US, Iceland, Indonesia, Türkiye, Kenya and Italy.
- It can provide around-the-clock electricity generation, heat production and storage.
- As the energy source is continuous, geothermal power plants can operate at their maximum capacity throughout the day and year.
- On average, global geothermal capacity had a utilisation rate over 75 per cent in 2023, compared with less than 30 per cent for wind power and less than 15 per cent for solar PV.
Geothermal resources in India
- Geothermal resources in India have been mapped by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). It has studied 381 thermally anomalous areas across India and estimates a potential of about 10,600 megawatt (MW).
- ONGC Energy Centre (OEC) is working on a project to harness geothermal energy at the Puga and Chumathang sites of Ladakh. An MoU for the same was signed with the UT Administration of Ladakh and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, in February 2021.
- OEC is also making efforts to utilise geothermal energy from its existing oil and gas wells in Gandhar oil field of ONGC Ankleshwar Asset, Gujarat.
- Cambay Basin would be the next region that OEC would target.
- The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing the Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme (RE-RTD).
- India has inked pacts with Iceland and Saudi Arabia to work on developing geothermal energy.
- Geothermal energy has been identified as a focus area under the Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP), launched on August 29, 2023, between India and the US.
