IIT Bombay and NTPC Drill India’s First CO2 Storage Well in Jharkhand

In a pioneering move for carbon capture and storage in India, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and IIT Bombay have successfully drilled the country’s first well to test geological CO2 storage.

The project targets sedimentary formations such as coal and sandstone, marking a significant milestone in India’s Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) efforts.

The initiative aims to prevent greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere by storing CO2 deep underground or converting it into reusable products such as fuel or construction materials. The drilling operation, launched in September 2025 at Pakri Barwadih in Jharkhand near an active coal mining area, reached a depth of 1,200 metres and was completed on November 15. A second well was initiated on December 21 to support injection and monitoring activities.

The collaboration began in November 2022 under NITI Aayog’s guidance, bringing together NTPC’s research and development arm NETRA (NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance) and IIT Bombay’s Department of Earth Sciences. As part of the project, India’s first geological storage atlas was developed, mapping methane-rich coalfields and estimating CO2 storage potential in four major coalfields using layer-by-layer simulation supported by experimental data.

Dr V.K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the DST-National Centre of Excellence in CCUS at IIT Bombay, emphasized the project’s timing as crucial for India’s net-zero ambitions under the Panchamrit climate goals. He highlighted the importance of indigenous technology development, careful monitoring of underground conditions, injection pressures, well safety, and seismic activity.

NTPC Chairman and MD Gurdeep Singh described the achievement as a key step in the company’s decarbonisation roadmap. IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare said the project underscores applied research’s role in shaping India’s energy transition. Project lead Prof. Vikram Vishal noted that early studies indicate high CO2 storage potential, with the Pakri Barwadih block alone capable of storing up to 15.5 million tonnes over ten years.

The project will now advance detailed feasibility studies, risk assessments, and a commercial development plan for large-scale carbon storage. India’s CCUS programme is being implemented in mission mode by the Ministry of Power, supported by multiple ministries, to reduce emissions and accelerate the country’s path to net-zero targets.