News: The Government of India has recently announced the National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025) to drive the clean energy transition and advance the nation’s Net Zero 2070 commitment.
About the National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025)
- The Government of India has notified the National Policy on Geothermal Energy (2025) to accelerate clean energy transition, diversify renewable sources, and support India’s Net Zero 2070 commitment.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
- The policy focuses on research, innovation, technology development, ecosystem creation, capacity building, and partnerships to harness the untapped potential of geothermal energy.
- Scope and Applications:
- Clean Power and Direct Use: Promotes power generation, district heating, agriculture, aquaculture, and Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) for space cooling and heating.
- Comprehensive Framework: Provides guidelines for exploration, development, and utilization of geothermal resources in India.
Key Highlights of the Policy
- Research and Best Practices: Promotes research, inter-ministerial collaboration, and the adoption of global best practices for geothermal energy development, with regulatory and stewardship responsibilities vested in the Ministry.
- Integration with National Goals: Seeks to align geothermal energy development with India’s Net Zero (2070) target and broader renewable energy objectives.
- Diverse Applications: Focuses on electricity generation, space heating and cooling, agriculture (greenhouses and cold storage), tourism, and desalination.
- Technological Innovation: Encourages R&D of advanced systems, including hybrid geothermal-solar plants, retrofitting of abandoned oil wells, and Enhanced/Advanced Geothermal Systems (EGS/AGS).
- Local Innovation and Partnerships: Emphasizes indigenous innovation, joint ventures, and the repurposing of existing oil and gas infrastructure.
- Collaboration: Promotes partnerships with international geothermal bodies, pioneering nations, state governments, oil and gas companies, and research institutions.
- Ecosystem Development: Aims to establish a strong public-private ecosystem to support the long-term growth of the geothermal sector.
- Capacity Building: Focuses on knowledge sharing, training, and human resource development within the sector.
