{"id":54365,"date":"2025-09-17T20:29:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T14:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=54365"},"modified":"2025-09-19T12:47:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T07:17:47","slug":"india-first-geothermal-energy-national-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-09-2025\/india-first-geothermal-energy-national-policy","title":{"rendered":"MNRE Unveiled India&#8217;s First National Policy on Geothermal Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Union <strong>Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)<\/strong> launched its <strong>first national policy on geothermal energy<\/strong>, joining a growing list of countries betting on subterranean heat to achieve <strong>net-zero emissions by 2070.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>National Policy on Geothermal Energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vision &amp; Goals<\/strong>: To <strong>establish geothermal energy as a key pillar of India\u2019s renewable energy sector<\/strong>, enhancing energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting sustainable development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementation Framework (By MNRE):<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>International collaboration<\/strong> with leading geothermal nations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pilot projects<\/strong> under the Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soft loans from IREDA and DFIs<\/strong> for project financing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establishment of <strong>Centres of Excellence (CoEs)<\/strong> for capacity building and technical support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Periodic progress reports<\/strong> to track milestones and ensure accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Developmental Model and Deployment: <\/strong>The geothermal development model includes <strong>exploration, drilling, feasibility studies, construction, and operation<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Fiscal Incentives<\/strong>: Long-term concessional loans, Sovereign Green Bonds, Viability Gap Funding (VGF).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Import duty and GST exemptions<\/strong>, tax holidays, and accelerated depreciation benefits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inclusion in <strong>Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)<\/strong> and <strong>Carbon Credit Trading<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investment Support<\/strong>: 100%<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-07-2025\/drop-in-net-foreign-direct-investment\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-07-2025\/drop-in-net-foreign-direct-investment\"> foreign direct investment (FDI)<\/a>, concessional loans, and international collaborations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Project Duration<\/strong>: Support for geothermal projects up to 30 years, with extensions based on resource availability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Special funding support for <strong>North-Eastern and high-altitude states<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conversion of <strong>abandoned oil and gas wells<\/strong> into geothermal projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Joint ventures with oil, gas, and mineral companies for resource sharing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Guidelines for States and Union Territories<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Allocation of geothermal blocks<\/strong> with exploration permits (3\u20135 years).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Single-window clearance system<\/strong> for permits and approvals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land leasing at concessional prices<\/strong> for developers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community engagement and compensatory measures<\/strong> in tribal and remote regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provisions for long-term project development (up to 30 years).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>About Geothermal Energy (Geo= Earth, Thermal= Heat)<\/strong><br>&#8211; It is the heat stored <strong>within the Earth&#8217;s crust, <\/strong>and comes from the <strong>natural heat of the Earth<\/strong> primarily <strong>due to the decay<\/strong> of the naturally <strong>radioactive isotopes<\/strong> of uranium, thorium and potassium.<br>&#8211; On average, the<strong> temperature of the Earth increases with depth<\/strong>, about <strong>25\u201330\u00b0C\/km<\/strong> above the surface ambient temperature (geothermal gradient).The heat is transferred from the interior towards the surface <strong>mostly by conduction.<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Types:<\/strong><br>1. <strong>High-enthalpy Resources:<\/strong> Often associated with volcanic regions, geysers and hot springs are <strong>primarily used for electricity generation.<\/strong><br>2. <strong>Low to Medium-enthalpy Resources:<\/strong> Such as hot rocks and shallow ground layers, are better suited for <strong>direct-use applications<\/strong> and <strong>geothermal heat pumps.<\/strong><br>&#8211; Geothermal plants offer <strong>high capacity utilization (&gt;80%)<\/strong>, reliable baseload supply, and <strong>no recurring fuel costs<\/strong>, making them economically viable in the long term.<br>1. These are <strong>capital-intensive and site-specific<\/strong>, requiring high upfront investment in exploration, drilling, and infrastructure.<br>&#8211; <strong>Global Geo-Thermal Capacity<\/strong> <strong>(15.4 GW):<\/strong> United States, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, and New Zealand.<br><strong>Geothermal Potential Sites in India<\/strong><br>&#8211; The <strong>Geological Survey of India (GSI),<\/strong> since 1973, has <strong>identified 381 hot springs<\/strong> with surface temperatures ranging from 35\u00b0C to 89\u00b0C.<br>1. It can be utilized effectively, with advancements in <strong>Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)<\/strong> and <strong>Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS).<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>India <\/strong>falls <strong>within a medium to low heat enthalpy zone (100\u2013180\u00b0C),<\/strong>&nbsp; spread across <strong>10 geothermal provinces.\u2018<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Geothermal Atlas of India, 2022\u2019<\/strong> estimated the potential of about 10,600 MW of geothermal power in India.<br><br><br><img data-dominant-color=\"e9efe9\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"406\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-54366\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9efe9; width: 350px;\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Geothermal-Potential-Sites-in-India.webp\" alt=\"Geothermal Potential Sites in India\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Geothermal-Potential-Sites-in-India.webp 709w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Geothermal-Potential-Sites-in-India-259x300.webp 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/economy\/geothermal-push-india-opens-sector-to-100-fdi-incentives-and-jv-partnerships\/article70055463.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: BL<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched its first national policy on geothermal energy, joining a growing list of countries betting on subterranean heat to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Guidelines for States and Union Territories<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Allocation of geothermal blocks with exploration permits (3\u20135 years).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Single-window clearance system for permits and approvals.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Land leasing at concessional prices for developers.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Community engagement and compensatory measures in tribal and remote regions.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-09-2025\/india-first-geothermal-energy-national-policy\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54365"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54432,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54365\/revisions\/54432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}