The Central Water Commission (CWC) has cleared a proposal for installation of the Upper Indravati Pump Storage Project under the Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC). The project has got a boost by obtaining Inter-State clearance from the CWC under Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India on September 13, 2022.
The state government had earlier sought to operate three such power storage projects namely, 600 MW Upper Indravati PSP in the district of Kalahandi, 500 MW Balimela PSP in Malkangiri district and 300 MW Upper Kolab PSP in Koraput district.
This pump storage hydro project is located in Kalahandi district and will have a total installed capacity of 600 MW. It has four specially designed turbines with 150 MW each. This project will provide 1040 million units of electricity per annum to Odisha GRID.
The OHPC has been entrusted with the investigation, planning, coordination and erection of three large scale Pump Storage Project (PSP). The proposal will be submitted to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for Techno-Economic Clearance and then the Detailed Project Report will be finalized and so on.
Pump storage (hydro-power) project 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). The project acts similarly to a giant battery, because it can store power and then release it when needed, an official explained.
