Guj firm to build 3 PSH power plants of 5,700 MW in Maha

Mumbai, June 7 (IANS) In a significant development for the state power sector, Torrent Power Ltd. Gujarat will construct three Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) projects of 5,700-MW, costing around Rs 27,000 crore, in Maharashtra, an official said here on Wednesday.

The Maharashtra government has inked an MoU with TPL, Ahmedabad, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, for the project which is expected to generate around 13,500 jobs during the five-year long construction period.

The projects shall come up at Karjat (Raigad) where a 3,000 MW PSH will be set up, and two units in Pune at Maval (1,200 MW) and Junnar (1,500 MW), said TPL Executive Director Jayesh Desai.

All the sites are off-stream and the 3 PSH projects are planned to provide a minimum of six hours of energy storage daily, said TPL.

The PSH is an established and cost-effective technology for firm, flexible and dispatchable power, according to the power major.

It is a configuration of two water reservoirs at different elevations. Water is pumped to the upper reservoir at the time of excess power when it is the cheapest and in the reverse direction during high demand when power is expensive and generates power with a hydraulic turbine, explained TPL.

It added that the share of renewable power, which is intermittent in nature, is rapidly increasing in the grid, which necessitates storage for load management and meeting peak demands.

The PSH is a superior solution compared with battery for energy storage, being cheaper, a longer life span of 40 years, higher duration storage of 6-10 hours with feasibility of multiple cycle operations during the day.

--IANS

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