India's First and Deepest Geothermal Wells Commissioned at Puga Valley in Ladakh
VK Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, commissioned India's first and deepest two geothermal wells, each 1,000 metres deep, at Puga Valley in Ladakh in July 2026. The wells were executed by the ONGC Energy Centre of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC). Significance: The wells are critical to implementing a 1 Megawatt (MW) Pilot Geothermal Power Plant at Puga Valley, situated at an altitude of over 14,000 feet above sea level. This will be India's first demonstration-scale geothermal power project. Technical findings: At a depth of 400 metres, the wells recorded a maximum temperature of 135 degrees Celsius. Purpose: The pilot will evaluate drilling, fluid behaviour, thermal profiles and energy-conversion mechanisms before full-scale deployment. Successful completion enables reservoir evaluation, power plant planning and eventual commercial development of geothermal resources in Ladakh.
Puga Valley (Ladakh) and Tattapani (Chhattisgarh) are India's most promising geothermal sites | ONGC founded 1956, HQ New Delhi, a Maharatna CPSE under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas | Ladakh became a Union Territory on 31 October 2019; capital Leh | Geothermal energy is a renewable source drawn from the Earth's internal heat
Ladakh Lt Governor VK Saxena commissioned India's first and deepest two geothermal wells (1,000 m each) at Puga Valley, Ladakh, executed by the ONGC Energy Centre. • The wells will feed India's first demonstration-scale 1 MW geothermal power plant, located above 14,000 feet, and recorded a maximum temperature of 135 degrees Celsius at 400 m depth.