The Ladakh administration has commissioned India’s first geothermal wells in the Puga Valley, marking a significant step toward establishing the country’s inaugural geothermal power plant. Located at an altitude of 14,000 feet, the two 1,000-meter-deep wells will serve as the foundation for a 1-megawatt pilot project.
Inaugurated by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the project recently overcame a major delay caused by the expiration of a tripartite MoU between the Ladakh Administration, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council Leh, and the ONGC Energy Centre. Saxena’s personal intervention in June 2026 secured a five-year renewal of the agreement, allowing drilling operations to resume.
Engineers successfully drilled the first well to its target depth on May 22, 2026, despite complex sub-surface conditions. The second well was spudded on June 3 and completed in record time on July 8, 2026. Preliminary testing recorded temperatures of 135 degrees Celsius at a depth of 400 meters, with engineers anticipating higher temperatures as deeper testing continues.
The successful completion of these wells will now allow for critical reservoir evaluation and power plant planning. LG Saxena described the achievement as a blueprint for India’s clean energy transition and a defining moment for Ladakh’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral region.
