State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation completed drilling its second geothermal well in Puga Valley, Ladakh, marking a step towards India's first pilot geothermal power plant. The ONGC Energy Centre drilled the well to a depth of 1,000 metres at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet in about a month, improving on the timeline and cost of the initial campaign. The company reported that the operation built on the earlier well which produced steam at temperatures above the boiling point of water, demonstrating the field's resource potential.\n\nThe second well will support development of India's first one megawatt electric (MW) pilot geothermal power plant and could pave the way for commercial exploitation of geothermal energy in the country. The project next phase includes setting up the one megawatt electric pilot plant and pursuing longer term development of geothermal resources to provide reliable baseload electricity for Ladakh. The Puga geothermal field in eastern Ladakh has long been identified as the country's most promising geothermal resource.\n\nGeothermal energy harnesses heat from beneath the earth's surface to generate electricity and provide heating, offering round the clock low carbon power unlike solar and wind whose output depends on weather conditions. Exploratory work at Puga has been intermittent for decades, and commercial geothermal power generation has not yet taken off in India because of technical and economic challenges. The recent progress is part of a broader effort to diversify the renewable energy mix beyond solar, wind and hydropower.\n\nIndia is working towards a target of installing 500 GW of non fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030, and geothermal could complement other technologies by contributing steady output. The drilling team completed the second well within a shorter timeframe and reduced cost compared with the first campaign, demonstrating improved operational capability in a high altitude environment. Further work will be required to validate resource sustainability and to integrate geothermal output into local grids before larger scale deployment.