Indian coal mining company to set up small-scale geothermal unit

Hyderabad, capital of Telengana state, India (source: flickr/ La Priz, creative commons)

Indian government-owned coal mining company Singareni Collieries Company Limited has announced plans for setting up a small pilot geothermal power generation unit in Pagideru village of Manuguru area of Bhadradri district in the southern Indian state of Telangana.

The planned 20 kW unit, while small in size would be the first-of-its-kind in the country, so the company. It plans to have the plant ready by March 2022 in a collaboration with the Department of Science and  Technology of the Union Ministry of Coal at an expected cost of  will set up the plant at a cost of 1.72 crore, or around USD  134k.

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Singareni authorities found geothermal resources in the Manuguru region during the drillings to identify the coal reserves. The hot water resources is found at a depth of 1,000 meters and with sufficient temperature for power generation.

Currently, local farmers using the hot water for agriculture, laundry and other things.

Source: The Hindu Business Online