Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Energy
Why in News?
Recently, the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) drills a second geothermal well in Ladakh.
- It is India’s 1st pilot geothermal power plant with 1-Megawatt (MW) under development in the Puga Valley of eastern Ladakh.
- Aim - To tap into underground steam and hot water to provide reliable, round-the-clock clean energy.
- Execution Agency - The project is being executed by the ONGC Energy Centre, the research and development arm of ONGC.
- Drilling Depth - The well was successfully drilled to a depth of 1,000 metres.
- Extreme Altitude - Operations were conducted at an elevation of over 14,000 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest geothermal drilling projects in the world.
- Efficiency Gains - The drilling was completed in approximately 1 month, demonstrating a vast improvement in both timeline and cost-efficiency compared to the first exploratory well campaign.
Puga Valley
- Puga Valley is geologically active and widely recognised as India's most promising geothermal field.
- It is characterised by abundant hot springs, high underground thermal gradients, and shallow geothermal reservoirs.
- The first exploratory well drilled by ONGC in Puga successfully discharged steam at temperatures above the boiling point of water, confirming a high-enthalpy geothermal system.
Reference
Economic Times | India's first pilot geothermal power plant
