New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Countries like Norway and Iceland have shown interest in India’s geothermal energy space offering technical assistance in pilot projects at various locations in the country, MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on Wednesday.
Besides, technology collaborations will be explored with more countries like the US, Indonesia among others to tap India’s geothermal energy potential which is around 10 GW at present, the top ministry official said in a media briefing on the National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025).
On affordability of the power from this source, he said that assessment has not been done. The technical and commercial feasibility of this will have to be established.
“Our initial reading suggests that at initial stage, this will cost nearly ₹10 per unit. But as it scales up, the cost is likely to come down. So, maybe in the first couple of projects, the government might have to chip in with a VGS like we did in case of solar and wind in the initial days,” Sarangi said.
Replying to question related to project cost, he said it is roughly ₹36 crore per megawatt.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has notified the policy to promote geothermal energy which can be an additional source in meeting India’s renewable energy and net-zero goals.
“A lot of Norwegian, Icelandic research companies have shown a lot of interest in Gulf of Cambay, in Arunachal Pradesh, in Uttarakhand. So, they have even sent their teams to do some pilot studies (for exploration),” the top ministry official said.
Iceland, Norway, Finland are the countries which are able to leverage this (their geothermal potential) in a much better manner, Sarangi said addressing the media.
Sarangi said 10 geothermal provinces have been identified by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) which include Himalayan Geothermal Province, Naga-Lusai, Andaman Nicobar Islands and Son-Narmada Tapi, among others.
As a first step towards exploration of geothermal energy, the ministry has sanctioned five projects in the sector.
These include both pilot initiatives and resource assessment projects aimed at exploring the viability and potential of geothermal energy in India.
Sharing details he said one “geothermal energy project of 450 kW using abandoned oil wells has been sanctioned in Rajasthan. These wells belong to Vedanta.”
The government will also look at fiscal measures including a viability gap funding (VGF) to promote investments and adoption of geothermal energy, Sarangi said.
Geothermal energy harnesses heat stored within the Earth’s crust. High-enthalpy resources, often associated with volcanic regions, geysers and hot springs are primarily used for electricity generation.
As per the policy, while solar, wind, bioenergy, and hydropower dominate RE capacity, geothermal energy can be a significant additional resource.
The goal of the policy is to improve research capabilities on geothermal energy development and deployment, advanced geothermal exploration, improve drilling techniques, geothermal reservoir management and cost-effective power generation, and direct-use technologies adoption.
It aims to collaborate with ministries, international geothermal development bodies and national research institutes to incorporate global best practices in exploration, resource assessment, and technology deployment.
Besides, it aims to establish and promote advanced geothermal exploration through coordination with the oil and gas sector, involving deep and multilateral drilling, repurposing of abandoned wells for large-scale power generation in India.
Norway, Iceland, geothermal energy, renewable energy, geothermal exploration
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