Now Reading: Ladakh clears 5-year MoU extension with ONGC for geothermal plant
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Ladakh clears 5-year MoU extension with ONGC for geothermal plant
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved a five-year extension of the MoU with ONGC to set up India’s first commercial geothermal power project at Puga Valley, located at an altitude…
The Story in Brief
Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved a five-year extension of the MoU with ONGC to set up India’s first commercial geothermal power project at Puga Valley, located at an altitude of over 14,000 feet. The earlier tripartite MoU, signed on 6 February 2021, expired on 5 February 2026.
Under the extended pact, ONGC will build a 1 MWe pilot geothermal power plant and prepare a Detailed Project Report for large-scale commercial development. In the 2026 working season, ONGC will deepen the existing geothermal well to 1,000 metres and drill another well of similar depth. The pilot plant is expected to be commissioned in FY 2026-27. Millenniumpost reports that Puga Valley and Chumathang lie along the Himalayan geothermal belt, where test wells have already tapped steam exceeding 200°C at just 400 metres depth.
The Indian Opinion
The Puga Valley project is often called a 'game changer', but the first MoU expired with most work incomplete because of harsh weather and tough terrain. Geothermal energy in Ladakh faces real logistical hurdles that no press release can fix. The key test now is whether ONGC can deepen the well to 1,000 metres and commission the pilot plant by 2027, or whether this extension merely postpones another deadline. How much will this 1 MW pilot actually cost per unit of electricity? That number will settle whether geothermal is viable or just a costly experiment.
Source: millenniumpost.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
