Bhubaneswar: The Central Water Commission (CWC) has cleared a proposal of the state government for installation of the Upper Indravati Pump Storage Project under the Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), official sources said.
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.
Pump storage (hydropower) 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.
OHPC chairman BP Sethi said the agency has been engaged in investigation, planning, coordination and erection of three large scale Pump Storage Project (PSP) in the state.
He said the 600 MW Upper Indravati Pump Storage Project achieved a major milestone by obtaining Inter-State clearance from the CWC under Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India on September 13, 2022.
The proposal for Upper Indravati Pump Storage Project will now be submitted before Central Electricity Authority (CEA) seeking Techno-Economic Clearance (TEC) after which Detailed Project Report will be finalized and further progress on execution of the project will be diligently made, Sethi said.
This pump storage project located in the remote part of Kalahandi district has a total installed capacity of 600 MW. It has four specially designed turbine generating set of 150 MW each. This project will provide 1040 million units of electricity per annum to Odisha grid.
Sethi said the best part of this project is that hardly any displacement is involved. This project will create opportunities for local employment generation and provide much needed impetus to the local economy. Clearance of the project by CWC will expedite the project implementation process, he said.
He said Odisha intends to fulfil the target set in the meeting of UN Climate Change Conference COP26 held in Glasgow to reduce CO2 emission and carbon foot print by switching over to green energy within a time bound manner by 2047.
PTI
