The government has revamped the approval process for pumped storage projects (PSPs) with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) amending the detailed project report (DPR) permissions to expedite the process of approvals, the Ministry of Power said in a statement on June 8.
Citing an example, the Power Ministry said the CEA has accorded concurrence to a PSP of 1,350 MW at Sileru in Andhra Pradesh (AP) in record time of 70 days against the stipulated timeline of 90 days. The project is being developed by APGENCO (an AP government undertaking).
On June 8, the government of Madhya Pradesh allotted a 525 MW pumped
storage power project to NHDC Ltd, a subsidiary of NHPC Ltd. The PSP will be constructed using the existing reservoirs (Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar) of the Indira Sagar Project. At least 1226.93 million units of
energy will be generated in peak hours from this PSP, which will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 4,200 crore.
Besides, the Maharashtra government also signed an MoU with NHPC Ltd. for setting up 7350 MW of PSPs.
The CEA has formulated a single window clearance cell along with the nomination of nodal officers by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for quick approval of the design aspects.
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has nominated nodal officers for rapid clearance of the geological aspects of DPRs. The CWC has increased the number of staff delegated to the examination of DPRs with a similar approach being taken by GSI, read the government's statement.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has decided to evaluate off-stream closed-loop PSPs with particular Terms of Reference (ToRs). "Subject to a few restrictions, MoEF&CC has also given notice to appraise PSPs (on existing reservoirs) under the B2 category (where no Environmental Impact Assessment is necessary). These alterations will significantly shorten the time it takes to obtain Environment Clearance for certain PSPs," it further stated.
Additionally, updated guidelines for the formulation and concurrence of DPR of PSPs have been released by the CEA. The time frame for concurring on the DPR of the below-mentioned PSPs has been shortened under the amended rules from 90 days to 50 days.
1) PSPs awarded under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003 (determination of tariff by bidding process).
2) PSPs which are part of Integrated Renewable Energy Projects that contain other RE sources such as wind energy, solar energy etc.
3) PSPs being developed as captive plants or merchant plants.
The timeframe for other PSPs' DPRs to concur has been shortened from 125 days to 90 days.
India's estimated PSP potential is 119 GW (comprising 109 PSPs). Hydro pumped storage projects is an integral storage solution to meeting the government's target of having 500 GW installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by the year 2030 and Net Zero carbon emissions by the year 2070. PSPs will aid in the grid's integration of sporadic renewable energy.
At least 39 PSPs totalling 47 GW are being pursued for commissioning by 2029–2030.
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