India is planning to build a geothermal power plant in Arunachal Pradesh on the border with China. China is also setting up a geothermal plant across the same border.
The second geothermal project at the border is strategically significant amidst increasing Chinese claims in the northeastern region. Persistent border tensions and deteriorating bilateral ties further highlight its importance. To reinforce infrastructure along the border, the government is initiating multiple projects, including this one.
To conduct research for the project, a proposal suggests a partnership between a local university and a Norwegian agency. Norway, known for deploying geothermal heating pumps extensively, has good experience in geothermal energy utilization, just like Nordic countries. For the Puga Valley project, ONGC had partnered with Iceland GeoSurvey, a government agency of Iceland, to explore and utilize geothermal energy.
The Indian government, through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), aims to establish cost-competitive geothermal capacity in India. Countries like Iceland, El Salvador, New Zealand, Kenya, and the Philippines have already contributed significantly to energy demand through geothermal energy, which is an important source of renewable energy.
The geothermal energy project aligns with India's Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) to install 500 GW of renewable energy capacity and achieve net zero carbon emission by 2070.
Geothermal energy involves capturing and harnessing heat energy stored within Earth or cooking, bathing, space heating, electrical power generation, and other uses. Hot rocks in the earth’s core emit heat which generates steam and pressure and thus comes out of the earth’s surface. The steam from these reserves is either directly used to rotate the turbines of an electrical generator or is used to heat water which then produces steam for the process.
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