A 20-kW geothermal pilot plant has been commissioned by government-owned coal mining company Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in the Manuguru area of the Bhadradri Kothagudem district in Telangana, India. The plant uses binary ORC technology and is a first-of-its-kind in the country.
Work on the pilot plant started in 2021 and construction was supported by the Ministry of Coal with an allotment of Rs 2.42 Crore (approx. USD 288,000). Geothermal resources in the Manuguru area had been identified during drilling work for coal reserves. Locals in the area had already been using hot water for agriculture and laundry. The hot water resources were found at a depth of 1,000 meters and with sufficient temperature for power generation.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), through its Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development Programme (RE-RTD), continues to play a vital role in advancing geothermal energy with collaborative initiatives with various research initiatives and industry players. These efforts are geared towards the development of indigenous technologies for efficient and cost-effective renewable energy solutions.
Aside from Telangana, work is also being done to explore and evaluate geothermal resources in Ladakh in NW India and Arunachal Pradesh in NE India. Earlier this year, Oil India Limited (OIL) announced that it will carry out detailed research studies and surveys to assess the geothermal potential of the Arunachal Pradesh and Assam regions. Over in Ladakh, drilling for a geothermal project by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has just recently restarted following a two-year setback.
Towards further development
According to the SCCL, Manuguru stands out among India’s more than 300 geothermal locations with a potential of up to 122 MW.
To further develop this potential, SCCL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ONGC and the Telangana Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd. (TGREDCO) for the exploration and development of the Manuguru Geothermal Field. The tripartite MoU was signed on 2 August 2024.
Source: Swarajya, EnergyWorld, and ONGC via Twitter
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