Ladakh wells begin testing India's geothermal power potential
Two 1,000-metre wells in Puga Valley will support reservoir evaluation for a proposed 1 MW demonstration plant.
Two geothermal wells, each about 1,000 metres deep, were commissioned in Puga Valley in July 2026 to generate reservoir data for a proposed 1 MW demonstration power plant.
The work follows the National Policy on Geothermal Energy notified in September 2025 and moves the site from broad resource interest toward field evaluation.
Why it matters
Geothermal power can provide firm, low-carbon generation where reservoir conditions are suitable, complementing renewable sources whose output varies with weather and time of day.
SCULTRA point of view
The decisive evidence will come from reservoir productivity, reinjection performance, environmental monitoring, capital and operating cost, and reliable year-round output from the demonstration system.
Limitations
This is an early demonstration pathway described in an official explainer. It does not establish the commercially recoverable resource, plant economics or scalable operating performance.
Source: Press Information Bureau / Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 4 September 2026, 14:43 IST.