SRINAGAR: India on Friday commissioned its first and deepest geothermal wells in Ladakh’s Puga Valley, marking a significant milestone in the country’s clean energy programme and paving the way for its first demonstration-scale geothermal power project.
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena inaugurated the two geothermal wells, each drilled to a depth of 1,000 metres at an altitude of over 14,000 feet. The project is being executed by the ONGC Energy Centre.
Describing the development as a landmark for India’s energy transition, Saxena said the achievement at Puga Valley would serve as a blueprint for the country’s net-zero ambitions while helping transform Ladakh into a carbon-neutral and environmentally sustainable region.
Officials said the two wells are crucial for the proposed 1 MW pilot geothermal power project at Puga, which will be India’s first demonstration-scale geothermal power plant. The wells will enable detailed reservoir evaluation, support power plant design and lay the groundwork for the commercial development of geothermal resources in the region.
Project engineers said temperatures of up to 135°C have already been recorded at a depth of 400 metres. Further testing is underway, with expectations of encountering even higher temperatures required for operating the pilot plant and assessing the area’s long-term commercial potential.
Despite geothermal activity, difficult subsurface conditions and other operational challenges, the first well reached its target depth of 1,000 metres on May 22, 2026. Drilling of the second well began on June 3 and was completed on July 8, reaching the same depth in just over a month.
The project had earlier been delayed after the expiry of a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Ladakh administration, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh and the ONGC Energy Centre, stalling work for several months.
Officials said the project resumed after Saxena facilitated the renewal of the agreement for another five years, allowing drilling operations to move forward.
