India looks at technological cooperation with us, Norway Other in Geothermal Space: Messrs Secy

Countries in New -Delhi, September 17 (PTI) such as Norway and Iceland have shown interest in India’s geothermal energy space that provides technical assistance in pilot projects in various places in the country, Messrsh Kumar Sarangi, secretary of Messrs, said on Wednesday. In addition, technological collaboration will be investigated with more countries such as the US, including Indonesia to use India’s geothermal energy potential, which is currently about 10 GW, the ministry’s official in a media information session on the national geothermal energy policy (2025) said. About the affordability of the power of this source, he said that the assessment was not done. The technical and commercial feasibility of this must be determined. “Our initial lecture indicates that it will cost almost £ 10 per unit at the first stage. But as it scales, the costs are likely to decline. So, in the first few projects, the government may have to enter with an VGS in the first days as in the case of solar and wind,” Sarangi said. Answer to the question associated with project costs, he said it was about £ 36 per megawatt. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (Messrs) has informed the policy to promote geothermal energy, which could be an additional source to achieve India’s renewable energy and net-zero goals. “Many of the Norwegian Icelandic research companies showed a lot of interest in the Gulf of Cambay, in Arunachal Pradesh, in Uttarakhand. They even sent their teams to do some pilot studies (for exploration),” the ministry official said. Iceland, Norway, Finland, are the countries that can use it (their geothermal potential) in a much better way, Sarangi said he was addressing the media. Sarangi said 10 geothermal provinces were identified, among others, by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which includes the Himalayan-geothermal province, Naga-Losai, Andaman Nicobar Islands and Son-Narmada Tapi. As a first step towards the investigation into geothermal energy, the ministry has approved five projects in the sector. This includes both pilot initiatives and resource assessment projects aimed at exploring the viability and potential of geothermal energy in India. By sharing details, he said that one “geothermal energy project of 450 kW was approved with abandoned oil pits in Rajasthan. These wells belong to Vedanta.” The government will also look at fiscal measures, including a viability financing (VGF) to promote investment and acceptance of geothermal energy, Sarangi said. Geothermal energy utilizes heat stored in the earth’s crust. High enthusiasts resources, often associated with volcanic regions, geysers and hot springs, are mainly used for electricity generation. According to the policy, while solar, wind, bio -energy and water power dominate the capacity, geothermal energy can be a significant additional resource. The purpose 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 adoption of direct use. It aims to work with ministries, international geothermal development bodies and national research institutions to include global best practices in exploration, resource assessment and technology deployment. In addition, it aims to establish and promote advanced geothermal exploration through coordination with the oil and gas sector, which involves deep and multilateral drilling, which has reused the abandoned wells for large-scale power generation in India.