New Delhi: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, has directed senior officials to prepare a new geothermal energy policy to ensure optimal utilisation of this renewable resource.
He told the officials that the new policy should help to ensure that geothermal energy is optimally utilised and becomes a viable, industry-friendly component of India’s renewable energy mix.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had earlier released a draft policy in 2016, but it was never implemented. That draft proposed awarding land for geothermal projects, securing commercial viability by ensuring proper maintenance of production wells and leasing land at rates comparable to those charged to government departments. It also included provisions for loans, similar to other renewable energy projects.
However, last year, in August, MNRE had constituted a Task Force to harness geothermal energy in India. It was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. A.K. Tripathi, Advisor at MNRE and includes experts such as Dr. Kaustav Nag from the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, Ravi Baidyanath Prasad from ONGC Energy Centre, Er. Tana Tage of the Centre for Earth Science and Himalayan Studies and Prof. Arun K. Saraf from IIT Roorkee.
Senior geologists and scientists from the Geological Survey of India, CSIR-NGRI and industry representatives are also part of the group.
In the office memorandum, it was stated: “The Task Force will review the draft of ‘Indian Geothermal Energy Development Framework’, the Global status of various available technologies & applications and will provide guidance for further course of actions for harnessing Geothermal Energy in the Country.”
Furthermore, the document also stated that the Task Force may also collaborate with industry and consult additional experts or stakeholders whenever necessary.
