Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh approves MoU extension with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for India's first geothermal project

Key facts

• The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Vinai Kumar Saxena, approved a five-year extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to establish India's first geothermal power project in Puga valley, Ladakh.
• The project aims to set up a 1 MWe pilot geothermal power plant in Puga valley and prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for large-scale commercial exploitation of geothermal energy.
• The ONGC Energy Centre will deepen an existing geothermal well to 1000 metres in 2026 and drill another 1000-metre well in the next phase, with commissioning expected in FY 2026-27.
• Located along the Himalayan geothermal belt, the Puga valley site recorded subsurface temperatures exceeding 240 degrees Celsius at a depth of 405 metres during a 2025 drilling operation.
• Under Phase-II of the project, geothermal investigations and surveys will be conducted in the Chumathang area to facilitate commercial-scale development.