The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has accorded concurrence to two additional hydro pumped storage projects (PSPs) in Maharashtra, totalling 2,500 MW: a 1,500 MW project by JSW Energy Limited and a 1,000 MW project by Tata Power Company Limited. These approvals were made with support from the Central Water Commission, Geological Survey of India, and Central Soil and Materials Research Station.
Furthermore, the concurrence occurred 10 days after the completion of the detailed project reports (DPRs). This large-scale storage capacity is highly necessary for meeting the peak demand during non-solar hours in addition to inertia to the grid, leading to grid stability. These projects will also help in faster renewable energy integration, and support the transition to a greener energy system.
The project developers plan to complete the projects in 44 to 46 months, by 2028, providing a combined storage capacity of over 15 GWh. CEA aims to approve at least two PSPs each month this year, with a target of 15 hydro PSPs totalling 25,500 MW capacity for 2024-25. In August 2024, CEA had accorded concurrence to two PSPs: 600 MW Upper Indravati project in Odisha and 2,000 MW Sharavathy project in Karnataka.
