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World Affairs, Geography
Mahesh

23/08/22 09:45 AM IST

Geothermal Energy in Ladakh

In News 
  • State-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will be participating to generate electricity through Geothermal Energy at Puga, a remote valley located in Ladakh, off the road to Chumar on the de-facto border with China.
About the project 
  • It will be India’s first geothermal energy project and also the world’s highest at 14,000ft.
  • ONGC has started drilling its first well for the project and encountered high-pressure steam at 100 degrees Celsius with a discharge rate of 100 tonne geothermal energy per hour, considered as a good sign for the project.
Puga valley 
  • Puga Valley is situated in the Changthang Valley in the south-eastern part of Ladakh, about 22 km away from the Salt Lake Valley.
  • It is a region of great significance known for its natural beauty and geothermal activities.
  • Puga is also visited for its hot sulphur spring.
Significance 
  • It will boost Ladakh’s potential to emerge as one of the country’s clean energy bowl by expanding the area’s horizon beyond solar or wind power.
  • The pilot plant provides power and heating needs of the nearby settlements of Tibetan pastoralist refugee settlements at Sumdo and nearby areas.
  • A bigger plant will provide 24X7 supply for the far-flung settlements and the large defence establishment in the eastern sector, reducing their dependence on diesel for running generators.
  • The plant can also play a vital role as a stabiliser for the 15-gigawatt solar/wind project being planned in the nearby Morey plains in the southwest.
GeoThermal Energy 
  • Geothermal energy is the heat from the earth. This heat is used for bathing, to heat buildings, and to generate electricity.
  • The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat), and geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because heat is continuously produced inside the earth.
  • Hot water or steam reservoirs deep in the earth are accessed by drilling.
  • Geothermal reservoirs located near the earth's surface, mostly located in the western U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii.
  • The shallow ground near the Earth's surface that maintains a relatively constant temperature of 50-60°F.
Source- PIB 

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