Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has drawn up a plan to map India’s geothermal energy sources, with a potential of 10 GW, even as it undertakes airlifting of drilling equipment in Ladakh valley to resume the pilot project at Puga site.

The information pertaining to the actual capacity, production and flow will be known after drilling, and will be used to effectively exploit the clean and green energy. Preliminary studies have indicated availability of rich geothermal sources in Ladakh, Himachal, Gujarat (Cambay Basin and Ankleshwar), Andhra Prades (Kowthalam) and Chhattisgarh. Overall, Ladakh, will be followed by Gujarat, and later in the South.

Last month, the oil major had signed an agreement with Iceland GeoSurvey (ISOR) for the exploration and development of geothermal energy in India, following alignment on the Ladakh project last year.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have carried out the initial survey.

Geothermal energy is clean, and sustainable which is available 24×7.

Once the pilot project is proven, plans are to take it to a commercial-scale.

As per plans, the drilling work commences this year, the company expects to opeartionalise the one MW pilot project by next year. Likewise, the second phase of drilling will begin at Chumathang, and if the two reservoirs can be interconnected, it will enable the installation of a 100 MW power plant.