Project InnerSpace, in partnership with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), has released The Future of Geothermal in India, highlighting India’s substantial untapped geothermal potential. The report estimates that the country holds technical potential of 11,000 gigawatts (GW) of industrial heat, over 1,500 GW of cooling capacity, and around 450 GW of electricity generation, nearly equivalent to India’s current installed power capacity. Even partial utilization of this resource could ease pressure on the national power system, diversify industrial energy supply, and support the country’s rapidly growing demand. The study identifies geothermal energy as a key enabler for high-demand sectors such as data centres, urban infrastructure, and industry, while also strengthening energy security, improving system resilience, reducing emissions, and generating significant employment opportunities. With cooling demand rising sharply and industrial energy use still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, geothermal energy presents a practical pathway to deliver reliable, low-carbon energy at scale.
Geothermal energy, derived from the natural heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface is a continuously available domestic resource. The report outlines a clear pathway for scaling its deployment in India through pilot projects, supportive policy frameworks, and targeted incentives, enabling a transition from early-stage exploration to broader commercial adoption within this decade. While India initiated geothermal exploration several decades ago, progress has remained limited to pilot initiatives due to high exploration risks, uncertain drilling outcomes, and the lack of a comprehensive enabling policy environment. However, the report notes that recent advances in drilling technology, improved subsurface data, and the introduction of India’s National Policy on Geothermal Energy have significantly strengthened the case for large-scale deployment. Early projects are already underway, including the Tapri Geothermal Cold Storage Project in Himachal Pradesh, supported under Project InnerSpace’s GeoFund initiative.
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The Future of Geothermal in India:
Highlights 1,500+ GW of cooling technical potential (down to 3.5km), with systems that can cut electricity use by 30–40%;
Estimates over 11,000 GW of industrial heat technical potential (down to 3.5km with a cut-off of 100 degrees Celsius);
Highlights 450 GW of technical potential for electricity generation (down to 5km).
Pinpoints leading states for the greatest opportunity for geothermal deployment, including: Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
Illustrates how geothermal can support India’s data centre growth through cooling applications that reduce demand and 24/7 firm power in key geographies.
“Geothermal is a massive and untapped energy opportunity for India — with industrial heat and cooling as low hanging fruit ready to economically deploy today,” said Jamie Beard, Executive Director of Project InnerSpace. “With rising demand due to economic growth, and the potential for continued energy supply disruptions, there are few energy sources that offer the local and resilient abundance of geothermal energy.”
“Diversity is an essential attribute of every energy system,” said Karthik Ganesan, Fellow and Director — Strategic Partnerships of CEEW. “As India’s energy supply shifts towards clean sources, this diversity will have to be met through newer technologies and geothermal is that ubiquitous source that guarantees energy security, with little environmental footprint and not affected by the vagaries of short-term weather and long-term climatic changes.”
“Industrial heat is challenging to decarbonize using intermittent renewable electricity. Hence, the chemical industry, which uses a lot of industrial heat, is a hard-to-abate sector,” said Mirik Gogri, Head of Corporate Strategy at Aarti Industries. “Geothermal is an excellent source of clean baseload power and heat, with the potential to enable our plants to operate without disruption while also minimizing our carbon footprint. We are thrilled this report identified the industrial zone in Jhagadia as a place where geothermal development is possible, and we look forward to exploring ways to integrate this enormous resource into our operations.”
The report was led by Project InnerSpace, in partnership with CEEW, and with contributions from 12 leading institutions across India and internationally.
