“Pumped hydro storage is the most emerging opportunity in power sector”: NHPC chairman 

State-owned hydropower producer NHPC, which has diversified into solar and wind power generation, plans an aggressive foray into pumped hydro storage as it sees these plants as the most emerging opportunity in the power sector. 

The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop four pumped hydro storage projects aggregating to 7 GW in the State of Maharashtra. It has also entered into MoUs with Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Odisha state governments to develop pumped storage projects. 

NHPC expects its first pumped storage commissioning by the year FY 2028-29, which will be located in Maharashtra.

“Once you start the construction activity [for any pumped storage plant] on the ground, it is going to take not less than four to five years. So, that is after the start of construction activities, but before that, there are certain investigation matters, certain clearances, and certain compliances. So, all that we have started doing. That period is something like one to one-and-a-half years,” informed RK Vishnoi, chairman and managing director of NHPC.

“There are four states where we have already moved ahead, and this is going to be one big business opportunity for NHPC in the near future…Our teams are there on the ground, they have started working on this. So, pumped storage is going to be the mainstay for NHPC now in the near future.”