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.
