The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has accorded concurrence to Upper Sileru pumped storage project (PSP) in record time of 70 days against the stipulated timeline of 90 days. The 1,350 MW PSP project is being developed at Sileru, Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh by Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited. To expedite the process of concurrence of hydro PSPs, the CEA has recently revamped the process for concurrence of detailed project report (DPR) of these projects, introducing measures to streamline the concurrence process. Notably, a single window clearance cell has been established; and the Central Water Commission has nominated nodal officers for fast-tracking the clearance of design aspects. Moreover, the Geological Survey of India has also nominated nodal officers for fast-tracking the clearance of geological aspects of DPRs and CEA has requested GSI to involve their subordinate and field offices in states to further fast-track the clearances.
It further stated that initiatives had been made to speed up environmental clearances. As a result of ongoing efforts by the CEA and the ministry of power, the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change (MoEF&CC) has agreed to appraise off stream closed loop PSPs with specified terms of reference. Additionally, the MoEF&CC has issued a notification to appraise PSPs on existing reservoirs under the B2 category, which eliminates the need for Environmental Impact Assessment, subject to certain conditions. These measures are expected to significantly reduce the time required to obtain environmental clearance for PSPs.
According to the ministry, the CEA has published revised guidelines for the formulation and concurrence of DPRs for PSPs. Under the new guidelines, the timeline for concurrence of DPRs for certain categories of PSPs has been reduced from 90 days to 50 days. This includes PSPs awarded under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, those integrated into Integrated Renewable Energy Projects, and those developed as captive plants or merchant plants. The approval timeline for other PSPs has also been reduced from 125 days to 90 days. It said that the potential of PSPs in India is significant, with an estimated capacity of about 119 GW comprising 109 PSPs.
Currently, 8 projects with a capacity of 4.7 GW are operational, while 4 projects with a capacity of 2.8 GW are under construction. The CEA has granted concurrence for 2 projects with a capacity of 2.3 GW, and construction is set to begin shortly. Furthermore, 33 projects with a capacity of 42 GW are under survey & investigation for the preparation of DPRs. Out of these 33 projects, the ministry of environment, forest & climate change has already provided terms of reference for 22 projects.
