India Could Unlock Thousands of GW of Geothermal Industrial Heating Cooling and Electricity Generation Capacity

NEW DELHI : A landmark study released by Project InnerSpace and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has revealed that India is sitting on a goldmine of untapped energy. The report, titled The Future of Geothermal in India, suggests that geothermal resources could provide 11,000 GW of industrial heat, over 1,500 GW of cooling, and 450 GW of electricity—a combined potential that rivals India’s total current installed power capacity.

A Scalable Solution for Modern Demands:
As India faces a surge in energy consumption driven by rapid urbanization and the expansion of data centers, geothermal energy offers a unique “always-on” domestic resource. Unlike solar and wind, which are intermittent, geothermal provides a reliable baseload that is unaffected by weather or climate shifts.

The report identifies several high-opportunity states for deployment, including:

• Gujarat & Maharashtra
• Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal
• Telangana & Andhra Pradesh

Key Findings and Economic Impact:
The study highlights that even partial deployment of these resources could revolutionize how India manages its grid:

Decarbonizing Industry: Over 11,000 GW of potential heat (up to 3.5km deep) could power hard-to-abate sectors like chemical manufacturing.

Revolutionizing Cooling: Geothermal cooling systems could reduce electricity consumption by 30–40%, a critical factor as India’s cooling demand continues to skyrocket.

Job Creation: Scaling this sector could create hundreds of thousands of specialized jobs in drilling, engineering, and maintenance.

From Pilot Projects to National Policy:
While high exploration risks previously stalled geothermal growth, the report notes that India’s recent National Policy on Geothermal Energy and advanced drilling technologies have made large-scale use viable. Active projects, such as the Tapri Geothermal Cold Storage in Himachal Pradesh, already demonstrate the practical application of this “inner space” resource.

Jamie Beard, Executive Director of Project InnerSpace, emphasized the immediacy of the opportunity: “Geothermal is a massive and untapped energy opportunity for India—with industrial heat and cooling as low-hanging fruit ready to economically deploy today.”

Karthik Ganesan of CEEW added that geothermal is the “ubiquitous source” that guarantees energy security with a minimal environmental footprint. By tapping into the heat beneath its feet, India has a clear pathway to diversify its energy mix and strengthen its resilience against global supply disruptions.