Geothermal Energy in India Explained

Geothermal energy is the natural heat stored inside the Earth, which can be tapped through hot springs, steam or hot rock to generate electricity or to supply heat directly. India sits on no great volcanic belt like Iceland, Indonesia or Kenya, yet it has hundreds of hot springs scattered from the high Himalaya to the Deccan and the west coast, and each one is a small window into the heat below. This explainer, last updated 4 November 2026, walks through how geothermal energy works, where India’s hot-spring provinces lie, what has actually been built, and why a country so rich in sunshine and wind has been slow to dig for underground heat.

The short version is that India’s geothermal resource is real but modest in temperature, scattered in location and expensive to test. That makes it a useful niche source for remote mountain communities and for heating, drying and tourism, rather than a quick replacement for coal. Understanding why tells us a good deal about how energy choices are made in practice.

Key Takeaways

• Geothermal energy is heat from within the Earth, usable for electricity generation or directly for heating, drying, farming and spa tourism.
• India has several hundred hot springs grouped into around ten geothermal provinces, with the Himalayan belt of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh the most promising.
• Most Indian resources are low-to-medium temperature, which suits direct heat use and small binary power units better than large conventional geothermal plants.
• India has no commercial-scale geothermal power station, only exploratory wells, pilot projects and traditional uses such as hot-spring baths and cooking at Manikaran.
• Cheap solar and wind power, the cost of drilling and the remoteness of the best sites explain why geothermal has lagged behind other renewables.
• Newer technologies such as closed-loop wells, enhanced geothermal systems and ground-source heat pumps could widen India’s options in the coming decades.

What exactly is geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy is thermal energy that originates in the Earth’s interior, from the original heat left from the planet’s formation and from the slow radioactive decay of elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium in the rocks. The temperature rises steadily as one goes deeper, on average by roughly 25 to 30 degrees Celsius for every kilometre in ordinary continental crust, and much faster in places where hot rock or magma lies close to the surface.

That heat is constantly leaking upward. Where underground water meets hot rock it can emerge as a hot spring, a steam vent or a geyser. Engineers can also drill wells to bring hot water or steam to the surface, use it to spin a turbine, or pass it through a heat exchanger. Because the heat is replenished from below far faster than humans can use it, geothermal energy is classed as renewable, provided the underground water is managed carefully and not drawn down faster than it recharges.

Unlike solar and wind power, geothermal output does not depend on the weather or the time of day. A well field can run around the clock for decades, which is why energy planners call it a firm, or baseload, source. That steady character is its greatest attraction and the reason it keeps returning to the policy conversation even when it is slow to scale.

How is geothermal heat turned into electricity and useful heat?

Geothermal heat is turned into electricity by sending hot steam, or the vapour of a secondary fluid heated by hot water, through a turbine connected to a generator. The design depends on how hot the resource is.

Dry steam plants use natural steam directly and are rare, because very few reservoirs produce pure steam. Flash steam plants take water at high pressure and temperature, usually above about 180 degrees Celsius, and let some of it flash into steam when the pressure drops. Binary cycle plants, the most relevant type for India, pass moderately hot water, from around 80 to 150 degrees Celsius, through a heat exchanger that boils a fluid with a lower boiling point than water, such as an organic compound, and that vapour drives the turbine. The geothermal water is then injected back underground in a closed loop, so little is released to the air.

Not all geothermal use involves electricity. Direct use covers swimming and therapeutic baths, space heating, greenhouse farming, drying of fruit, spices and fish, milk pasteurisation, cold storage through absorption chillers and industrial process heat. Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps use the near-constant temperature of the shallow ground, usually around 10 to 20 metres down, to heat buildings in winter and cool them in summer, and they work almost anywhere, including the plains.

Where does India have geothermal resources?

India’s geothermal resources lie mainly in about ten recognised provinces that the Geological Survey of India has mapped from hot-spring clusters, the geology and measurements of heat flow. These are the Himalayan province, the Sohana province in Haryana, the Cambay graben in Gujarat, the West Coast province, the Son-Narmada-Tapi lineament belt, the Godavari valley, the Mahanadi valley, the Bakreshwar-Rajgir region of eastern India, and the Andaman and Nicobar volcanic arc.

The Himalayan belt is the most promising because the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates has thickened the crust and produced high heat flow and active faults that let hot water rise. The Cambay and west-coast zones are linked to rifting and old volcanic activity associated with the Deccan region, and they host many moderate-temperature springs. Peninsular springs such as those in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal are generally cooler, often below about 60 degrees Celsius, and are best suited to bathing and heating.

The only place in India with true volcanic activity is Barren Island in the Andaman Sea, India’s only confirmed active volcano, together with the dormant Narcondam. These lie in a remote, protected area and have not been seriously considered for power, but they show that the Andaman-Nicobar arc contains unusual heat.

What are the most important geothermal sites in India?

The best-studied geothermal sites in India are Puga and Chumathang in Ladakh, Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh and Tattapani in Chhattisgarh, along with scattered fields in Gujarat, Maharashtra and eastern India.

What makes Puga Valley India’s best geothermal prospect?

Puga Valley is considered India’s best geothermal prospect because it combines unusually high surface temperatures, vigorous steam activity and a large heat source in a cold region that badly needs reliable power and heat. At roughly 4,500 metres above sea level, water boils at only around 85 degrees Celsius, so springs and fumaroles that look boiling are not necessarily extremely hot, but exploratory drilling in the valley has reported steam and hot water at much higher temperatures at depth.

Puga lies in the Himalayan geothermal province, in a region of intense tectonic activity close to the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone, where the Indian and Asian plates met. Geologists have studied it since the 1970s, with drilling by the Geological Survey of India and later work by oil and gas companies. Reports over the years have discussed small pilot units and agreements to build a modest plant, and the idea is attractive because Ladakh depends on fuel brought over high passes and on diesel generators, and winter heating needs are large.

Even so, the logistics are tough. Puga is far from roads and grid, the terrain is a high-altitude cold desert, workers have a short season, and the area is ecologically sensitive, near wetlands and the habitat of rare birds and wild animals. Any project there has to balance clean energy against fragile surroundings, and past pilots have shown that wells can be difficult to bring into stable production.

Has India built any geothermal power plant?

India has not built a commercial geothermal power plant, though it has tested several small and experimental ones and it has long used geothermal heat directly. Exploratory drilling and short pilot trials have taken place at Puga, Manikaran and Tattapani over several decades, and a small binary test unit has been described at Manikaran and Tattapani, but none of these became a lasting power supplier to a grid.

Direct use is more established. Hot springs in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand support bathing, pilgrimage and tourism economies, and kitchens at Manikaran use the heat to cook rice and lentils. Experimental greenhouses, spice and fruit dryers, and small space-heating schemes have been tried in Ladakh and Himachal. These uses are cheap, need only modest temperatures and fit local needs, which makes them an easier first step than power generation.

Policy has also moved slowly. Geothermal is recognised in the country’s renewable energy plans, and government agencies have issued draft frameworks, research programmes and survey efforts, but unlike solar, wind and hydropower it has not had a strong set of auctions, tariffs or a dedicated target. That means few developers have taken up the risky exploration stage.

Why has geothermal energy not taken off in India?

Geothermal energy has not taken off in India mainly because the country’s resources are lower in temperature than the best in the world, they are far from demand centres, and the early drilling is risky and costly compared with solar and wind. A developer has to spend heavily on drilling wells before knowing for sure how much steam or hot water they will produce, and in India that risk is not well shared by public funds or insurance.

Several other factors compound the problem:

• Most hot springs are in remote Himalayan valleys with poor roads, harsh winters and no transmission lines.
• Many resources are below the 150 degrees Celsius that makes power generation efficient, so electricity output per well is small.
• The Himalaya is seismically active, which complicates drilling and raises insurance and engineering costs.
• Solar and wind prices have fallen sharply, so large new geothermal capacity struggles to win on cost.
• Hot springs are often sacred or heavily used for tourism, so communities may resist projects that could change flow or temperature.
• There has been limited domestic expertise and equipment compared with countries that have long geothermal industries.

None of this means geothermal energy is useless to India. It simply means its best role is local, targeted and often thermal, rather than as a national power source.

How does geothermal energy compare with solar and wind?

Geothermal energy delivers steady, around-the-clock power, whereas solar and wind are variable, but geothermal is far scarcer in India and much more expensive to explore. Comparing the three shows why planners treat them as complementary rather than rivals.

Because geothermal output is firm, even a small amount can help stabilise a remote grid that otherwise relies on diesel and on solar that disappears at night. That argument is strongest in Ladakh and in island territories such as the Andaman and Nicobar group, where fuel is costly to transport.

What are the environmental effects of geothermal energy?

Geothermal energy has a low carbon footprint compared with fossil fuels, but it is not impact free, and the main concerns are gases, water, land and tremors. Closed-loop binary plants emit very little, while older flash plants can release carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, which smells of rotten eggs, and traces of other gases from the underground fluid.

Water is a second issue. Geothermal fluids can carry dissolved salts, silica and metals, and they must be reinjected or treated rather than dumped into streams. Over-extraction can lower reservoir pressure and reduce spring flow, which in India could affect temples, communities and tourism that depend on natural hot springs. In delicate Himalayan wetlands such as Puga, noise, roads and drilling pads can disturb wildlife.

The third concern is induced seismicity. Injecting or withdrawing large volumes of fluid can trigger small tremors, usually too weak to feel but occasionally significant in sensitive areas. In an earthquake-prone region such as the Himalaya, careful monitoring is essential. Compared with coal, oil or even large hydropower, though, the overall footprint of a well-run geothermal project is small.

Can heat pumps and new technologies help India use geothermal energy?

Yes, ground-source heat pumps and newer drilling methods can make geothermal heat useful in places with no hot springs at all. Heat pumps move heat rather than creating it, and because the ground a few metres down stays at a stable temperature, they can heat and cool buildings using far less electricity than conventional heaters or air conditioners. This could matter for northern Indian winters, cold desert settlements and the growing demand for cooling in cities.

At greater depth, enhanced geothermal systems create artificial pathways in hot dry rock so that water can be pumped down, heated and brought back up. Closed-loop designs circulate a fluid through sealed pipes without needing natural underground water. Companies and researchers are also looking at reusing abandoned oil and gas wells, which would be relevant to India’s mature fields in Gujarat and Assam, and at co-producing hot water from oil wells to generate small amounts of power. Many of these ideas are still being proven, and costs have not yet fallen enough for them to compete widely, but they could widen India’s geothermal options beyond hot-spring country.

What is the future of geothermal energy in India?

The future of geothermal energy in India is most likely a gradual one, led by pilot power units in remote regions, expanded direct-use heating, and heat pumps, with a larger role only if new technology cuts drilling risk and costs. Realistic goals include one or two small demonstration plants in Ladakh or Himachal Pradesh, shared-risk drilling funds, geothermal greenhouses and dryers in mountain villages, and mapping of deeper heat in sedimentary basins.

Policy could help by treating geothermal like other renewables, with clear rules on ownership of heat and water, exploration licences, incentives, and a transparent framework for sharing the benefits with local people. Collaboration with countries that have mature geothermal industries, such as Iceland, Indonesia and New Zealand, could bring skills and equipment, while research institutions can improve resource estimates. Estimates of national potential remain uncertain, and the frequently quoted figure of around 10,000 megawatts is best read as a theoretical upper bound rather than a forecast of what will be built.

Bottom Line

India’s geothermal energy is a quiet, local resource rather than a national game-changer. The hot springs at Puga, Manikaran and Tattapani prove that heat is available, and direct-use applications can help mountain communities, but modest temperatures, remoteness and the rise of cheap solar and wind explain why no commercial plant exists yet. With smarter policy, shared drilling risk and newer technology, geothermal could earn a small but valuable place as firm, clean heat and power where it matters most.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is geothermal energy renewable?

Yes, geothermal energy is renewable because the Earth’s interior continuously supplies heat from its formation and from radioactive decay. It stays sustainable only if the underground water is managed and reinjected so the reservoir is not drained faster than it recharges.

Where is geothermal energy found in India?

India’s geothermal resources are found in about ten provinces, most notably the Himalayan belt of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, the Cambay region of Gujarat, the west coast, central India’s Son-Narmada-Tapi belt and the Andaman-Nicobar arc. Famous sites include Puga, Chumathang, Manikaran and Tattapani.

Does India have a geothermal power plant?

No commercial-scale geothermal power plant operates in India. There have been exploratory wells and small pilot or test units, mainly at Puga, Manikaran and Tattapani, along with direct uses such as bathing, cooking and heating.

Why is geothermal energy not widely used in India?

Most Indian geothermal resources are low to medium in temperature, located in remote and seismically active mountains, and costly and risky to drill compared with solar and wind. Limited policy support and local expertise have also slowed development.

What are the main uses of geothermal heat besides electricity?

Geothermal heat is used for bathing and spas, space heating, greenhouses, drying fruit and fish, cold storage and industrial process heat. Ground-source heat pumps also use shallow ground warmth to heat and cool buildings.

Is geothermal energy safe for the environment?

Geothermal energy is far cleaner than fossil fuels, but it can release gases like hydrogen sulphide, affect hot-spring flow and trigger minor tremors if poorly managed. Closed-loop systems with reinjection and good monitoring keep these impacts low.

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