The Central government has approved five geothermal energy projects under its first-ever national policy on geothermal energy, aimed at evaluating and unlocking the country’s estimated 10 GW potential.

“We have given five projects initially where we are using different techniques,” said Santosh Sarangi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Key initiatives include a RS 15 crore pilot project in Barmer, Rajasthan, where geothermal energy will be tapped from Vedanta’s abandoned oil fields. Other projects span diverse applications such as geothermal heating for a military base in Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), cooling system validation using geothermal technology, shallow geothermal development, and hybrid power generation combining solar and geothermal sources.

To support the sector’s growth, the government may introduce fiscal incentives like viability gap funding (VGF), tax breaks, and import facilitation. Additionally, India is exploring international collaborations with the US, Iceland, and Norway. The policy aims to incorporate global best practices and standard operating procedures for exploration, resource assessment, and deployment of geothermal technologies.