India Drills for a Greener Future: First CCS Test Well Completed

In a significant milestone for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in India, NTPC, in collaboration with IIT Bombay, has successfully completed the drilling of the country’s first test well to assess the feasibility of underground carbon dioxide storage.

The initiative aims to evaluate the potential for storing CO₂ in deep geological formations such as coal seams and sandstone, a critical step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The collaboration, initiated in November 2022 under the guidance of NITI Aayog, brings together NTPC’s research arm, NETRA, and IIT Bombay’s Department of Earth Sciences. As part of the effort, the partners developed India’s first geological storage atlas to map methane-rich coalfields suitable for CO₂ storage.

Drilling activities were carried out at Pakri Barwadih in Jharkhand, with the first well drilled in September 2025 to a depth of 1,200 metres, followed by a second well completed on 21 December 2025.

Highlighting the importance of the achievement, NITI Aayog Member Dr VK Saraswat said the milestone comes at a crucial time as India advances toward its net-zero commitments under the Panchamrit climate goals.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.