Geothermal Exploration in India

Abstract

In most Precambrian terrains including India, moderate-to-low temperature hot spring systems represent the potential conventional geothermal energy resources. This scenario is in contrast to geothermal fields under production in other parts of the world, which are located in Quaternary volcanic / magmatic settings (Gupta and Roy, 2006). This paper outlines (i) the major hot spring occurrences in India, (ii) the exploration efforts undertaken so far, (iii) possible geothermal models in the light of regional heat flow and heat production datasets, (iv) a few critical information gaps that need to be covered to make realistic assessment of the geothermal energy potential, and (v) perspectives for development and utilisation of geothermal energy in the country, both for electric power generation as well as for direct uses.