The Power Ministry has initiated several policy initiatives to speed up implementation of pumped storage projects (PSPs), which are crucial for integrating intermittent renewable energy (RE) with the power transmission grid.
Pumped storage system utilises surplus grid power available from thermal power stations or other sources to pump up water from lower to upper reservoir and reproduces power during peak demand when there is scarcity of power.
Hydro PSPs are important to achieve the government’s commitment of 500 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2070. They enable supply of dispatchable RE power and help in meeting the peak requirement of the power grid.
Potential
The identified potential of PSPs in India is about 119 GW (comprising 109 PSPs). Out of this, eight projects (4.7 GW) are under operation and four projects (2.8 GW) are under construction. The ministry aims to commission 39 hydro PSPs of 47 gigawatt (GW) capacity by FY30.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has given concurrence for 2 projects (2.3 GW) and construction of these two projects is slated to start shortly.
Further, 33 projects (42 GW) are under Survey and Investigation for preparation of DPRs. Out of these 33 projects, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has already given terms of reference to 22 projects.
Policy interventions
To expedite the process of setting up Hydro PSPs, the CEA recently revamped the process for concurrence of Detailed Project Report (DPR) of such projects. Under the revised guidelines, the timeline for concurrence of DPR of certain PSPs has been reduced from 90 days to 50 days.
That apart, the timeline for concurrence of DPR of other PSPs has been reduced from 125 days to 90 days.
Besides, the authority has also established a single window clearance cell for fast tracking proposals. Similarly, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has nominated nodal officers for fast-tracking the clearance of design aspects. It has also designated more groups for examination of design aspects of DPRs to further fast-track the clearances.
Furthermore, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has nominated nodal officers for fast-tracking the clearance of geological aspects of DPRs, and the CEA has requested GSI to involve their subordinate and field officers in States to further fast-track the clearances.
With continuous efforts of the CEA and the Power Ministry, the MoEF&CC has agreed to appraise Off Stream Closed Loop PSPs with specific terms of reference (ToRs).
The MoEF&CC has also notified to appraise PSPs (on existing reservoirs) under B2 category (wherein no Environmental Impact Assessment is required), subject to certain conditions. These considerations will drastically reduce time in getting environment clearance for these PSPs.