India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched a national policy to develop geothermal energy, establishing a framework to unlock untapped resources and diversify India’s clean energy mix. The initiative prioritizes geothermal for baseload supply and direct-use applications, complementing solar, wind, bioenergy, and hydropower, and underpins India’s net-zero goal by 2070.
Geothermal sites include 381 hot springs within 13 provinces, including areas like Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Gujarat.
The policy outlines plans to create a national geothermal resource data repository through collaboration among several government agencies and research institutes. It also encourages the development of geothermal heating and cooling technologies, like ground source heat pumps, to be integrated into building codes.
Five pilot projects have been approved to evaluate and demonstrate geothermal potential. The MNRE will coordinate with domestic and international partners to foster innovation, including research into hybrid geothermal-solar plants and retrofitting abandoned oil wells for geothermal use. The policy aims to support sustainable, secure geothermal energy development by providing guidelines, incentives, and promoting investment and technology adoption throughout India.
