IHA meets with Indian governments to drive forward sustainable hydropower

IHA met with the Ministry of Power in New Delhi, as well as the government of Gujarat in Ahmedabad, the government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram and the government of Andhra Pradesh in Vijayawada.

India has committed to 60 GW of pumped storage hydropower (PSH) capacity and a ?4200 billion investment in the energy storage technology by 2032.

The meeting with Shri Akash Tripathi I.A.S, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Power, government of India, centred on various topics related to hydropower in the country.

Discussions were held on national hydropower policy, permitting and licensing related to pumped storage hydropower, embedding the Hydropower Sustainability Standard in India and the nation’s role in the Global Alliance for Pumped Storage (GAPS).

Representatives of IHA members Andritz, Voith, Adani, ReNew, AECOM, EDF, SMEC, and Entura were present at the meeting to provide industry feedback to the ministry.

The State of Gujarat is following in the nation’s footsteps, also making ambitious commitments to PSH development. It has set a target of 10 GW by 2032, meaning the state would comprise 16.67% of the nation’s capacity if set targets are followed. Gujarat is also looking to invest ?700 billion in PSH by the same date, with seven sites currently being explored for feasibility at stage one.

IHA met with Shri Kanubhai Desai, Minister for Finance and Energy at the government of Gujarat, to discuss state policy to enable PSH development and secure long duration energy storage for Gujarat’s ambitious renewable targets.

According to the Energy Management Centre (EMC) Kerala, exploration is currently ongoing for up to 4590+ MW of PSH capacity in the state. Two projects have been selected so far, following the findings of the pre-feasibility report.

IHA was hosted by Dr K. M. Abraham CFA, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala and the Additional Chief Secretary Shri K.R. Jyothilal (IAS) in Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala’s plans for pumped storage (PSH) development and policy frameworks were discussed with the IHA; as the state looks to bolster its PSH capacity to provide storage for its renewable energy catalogue.

In Andhra Pradesh, IHA met with Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar, AV Rajamouli IAS, Secretary to the Chief Minister and Dr M Srinivasa Shankara Prasad, Principal Technical Advisor to the Minster for MSME.

Andhra Pradesh is the state in which the Pinnapuram pumped storage project is currently under construction. The 1680 MW project is being developed by IHA members Greenko and is expected to be fully operational soon.

The state has a significant potential for PSH projects, with a total capacity of approximately 42 020 MW.

IHA is looking to support India and its states in realising their hydropower and PSH potential, with sustainability at the heart of this process.

 

 

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