Govt Launches National Geothermal Energy Policy 2025, Approves Five Pilot Projects

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Sep 19 (KNN) The government has formally notified the National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025) and approved five pilot and resource assessment projects to explore the potential of geothermal power in the country.

The move reinforces India's commitment to the 2070 Net Zero Goal and aims to strengthen energy security through diversified renewable sources.

The projects, sanctioned by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), employ different techniques to harness India's estimated 10-gigawatt geothermal potential.

Among them is a Rs 15 crore pilot in Barmer, Rajasthan, which will utilise Vedanta's abandoned oil fields for geothermal energy production.

Other initiatives include geothermal heating for an army base in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, testing geothermal cooling applications, exploring shallow geothermal potential, and developing integrated solar-geothermal power generation.

The policy outlines multiple applications for geothermal energy, including electricity generation, district heating, space cooling and heating via Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs), agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, and desalination.

It also promotes hybrid systems such as geothermal-solar plants, retrofitting abandoned oil wells, and advanced geothermal systems (EGS/AGS).

Key highlights of the policy include promoting research, encouraging inter-ministerial collaboration, adopting global best practices, facilitating public-private partnerships, fostering local innovation, and building human resource capacity.

The government is also exploring fiscal support mechanisms, including viability gap funding, tax incentives, and import facilitation, along with international collaboration with nations such as the United States, Iceland, and Norway.

MNRE will monitor the projects' progress and provide a supportive ecosystem for developers, industries, and research institutions, aiming to advance India's clean energy transition while tapping into its untapped geothermal potential.

(KNN Bureau)

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