ONGC completes drilling of second geothermal well at Puga Valley in India

The Oil and National Gas Corporation (ONGC) has confirmed the drilling of a second well at Puga Valley in Ladakh, India to support a planned geothermal power project. According to the official release, well Puga-OEC-GT#03 was drilled to a depth of 1000 meters, similar to the first drilled geothermal well.

The successful completion of the two geothermal wells was commemorated at an event led by Governor of Ladakh Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, with several national leaders and representatives of ONGC in attendance. The two wells lay the foundation for the proposed 1-MW pilot geothermal power plant at Puga.

Based on the official statement, drilling of the second well was completed in just a little over a month. This contrasts strongly with the first well, which had a protracted drilling period that started back in 2022. Several operational challengers were encountered through the years, not the least of which is having to conduct the drilling operations on high-altitude terrain above 4,400 meters. A previously signed tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the Ladakh Administration, ONGC, and LAHDC Leh also expired over the course of project execution, contributing to further delays.

There have been no official reports of the parameters of the geothermal wells yet, with reports seemingly stating conflicting figures. Earlier statements indicate that geothermal fluids at temperatures exceeding 200 ºC have already been reached at shallow depths. Another source states that project representatives reported a maximum temperature of 135 ºC at 400 meters depth. In any case, early reports indicate temperatures that are sufficient for electricity generation, particularly if the short-term goal is a pilot-scale development.

Source: ONGC via Twitter (1 and 2) and The News Mill