Telangana: Manuguru to Emerge as Biggest Geo-Thermal Centre in India
HYDERABAD: The state government is working to tap the potential to generate geo-thermal power using hot water coming from the ground in Pagideru near Manuguru town, and hopes to make it the biggest such centre in the country.
The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) had entered into a tripartite agreement with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and the Telangana Renewable Energy Development Corporation to study the geo-thermal power potential at Pagideru.
As per the agreement, the ONGC will examine the feasibility of setting up the geo-thermal power unit.
Following the report by the Geological Survey India (GSI) which indicated the potential for setting up a 22 MW geo-thermal power centre at Manuguru, SCCL has intensified the efforts to generate renewable energy.
With assistance from the Union coal ministry, SCCL had previously set up a 20-kilowatt pilot plant to generate geo-thermal power.
Manuguru is among the 381 geo-thermal centres identified by the government and found to be an ideal site to set up wells. It has a major transport facility compared to other centres. It has the potential to generate 3,500 MW of power, the study found.
ONGC director Sushma Rawat observed that helium gas, a critical component in many fields, including scientific research, medical technology, high-tech manufacturing, space exploration, and national defence, can be found in abundance, in the serious tripartite study besides producing the geo-thermal power.