Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has launched the National Policy on Geothermal Energy. Briefing media on the Policy this afternoon, Sectretary, New and Renewable Energy Ministry Santosh Sarangi said the idea behind this policy is to bring together all stakeholders. He said there is huge potential for using thermal energy for cooling. The Policy will encourage research, inter ministerial collaboration, and adoption of global best practices for geothermal energy development. The regulatory and stewardship responsibilities for geothermal energy shall be with the Ministry. 

 

 

Ten geothermal provinces have been identified in India. These include Himalayas, Cambay Basin, Aravalli, Mahanadi basin and Godavari Basin. The estimated potential for geothermal energy in India is about 10 Gigawatt.

 

 

 

The National Policy on Geothermal Energy targets integration of geothermal energy with India’s Net Zero and renewable energy goals. There is scope for diverse applications, including electricity generation and space heating and cooling, agriculture, tourism and desalination. The Policy encourages research and development of advanced systems such as hybrid geothermal solar plants, and retrofitting abandoned oil wells. It lays emphasis on local innovation, joint ventures, and repurposing oil and gas infrastructure. It aims to build a robust public-private ecosystem for long term development of Geothermal Sector.