Status of pumped hydro-storage schemes and its future in India

The growing economy with corresponding increase in power demand causes more challenges in power sector of developing countries. In India, the increase in peak power demand necessitates energy storage schemes over and above the storage—hydro-, oil- and gas-based peak power plants to ensure power system stability. In utility energy storage schemes, the Pumped storage schemes attract more attention even in the developed countries due to its unique operational flexibility over other energy storage systems. In India, the availability of suitable topographies, hydro-thermal ratio imbalance in various regions, and optimal storage capacity for flexible power system operation gives a thought for the planers and executors to implement these schemes to meet peak demands. This paper presents a critical review of the necessity of pumped storage schemes in India. This review reveals that the major constraint for pumped storage operation in India is the deficit of off-peak power available in all the regional grids except north-east region for pumping at present. But the current adversity is likely to be gradually solved by the commissioning of newly proposed power projects. Fixing of a separate operational tariff for pumped storage schemes throughout the country is another requirement for which the government has set up a one man committee to analyze the feasibility for this peak tariff. Non-availability of lower tail pools and irrigation needs also causes poor pumping operations in some cases. However, most of the states in India are evincing interest in pumped storage schemes and proposals are being submitted to central government for securing stations clearance.