Geothermal Power Potential of 10,600 MW identified in India
Geothermal Energy
- Definition: Energy stored as heat beneath the Earth’s surface.
- Type: Renewable energy source.
- Usage:
- Electricity generation.
- Heating applications.
- Source: Decay of radioactive isotopes like potassium-40 and thorium-232 inside Earth’s core.
- Extraction:
- From underground pools of steam and hot water in geothermal hotspots.
- Molten rocks from deeper hot regions push upward and are trapped in certain regions, known as hot spots.
Geothermal Energy in India
- Geothermal Provinces:
- Himalayan
- Sahara Valley
- Cambay Basin
- San-Narmada–Topi Lineament Belt
- West Coast
- Godavari Basin
- Mahanadi Basin
- Prominent Locations for Power Plants:
- Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh)
- Jalgaon (Maharashtra)
- Tapovan (Uttarakhand)
- Bakreshwar (West Bengal)
- Tuwa (Gujarat)
- Current Geothermal Plants:
- Parvati Valley, Manikaran (Himachal Pradesh)
- Puga – Chumathang (Ladakh)
Both plants are operated by ONGC.
