Bhubaneswar: The Union Ministry on Friday said that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has approved detailed project reports (DPRs) of two hydro pumped storage plants (PSPs)- 600 MW Upper Indravati in Odisha’s Kalahandi and 2000 MW Sharavathy in Karnataka – in record time.
“To fast-track the concurrence process of hydro PSPs in line with ease of doing business drive of the Government of India, the CEA has further revised the guidelines to simplify the process for preparation of DPRs of PSPs and its concurrence,” a Ministry statement said.
The 600 MW Upper Indravati in Odisha is being developed by Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), a Odisha government undertaking, and 2,000 MW Sharavathy in Karnataka by KPCL, a unit of Karnataka government.
It added that the government has prioritized the development of energy storage systems, particularly PSPs, to ensure the energy security of the country.
In September 2022, the Upper Indravati project had received the clearance from Central Water Commission (CWC). The state government had then sought to operate three such plants, 600 MW Upper Indravati PSP in Kalahandi, 500 MW Balimela PSP in Malkangiri district and 300 MW Upper Kolab PSP in Koraput district.
This is a type of hydroelectric energy storage. It is a configuration of two water reservoirs at different elevations that can generate power as water moves down from one to the other (discharge), passing through a turbine. The system also requires power as it pumps water back into the upper reservoir (recharge).
