India’s energy sector took a decisive step toward accelerating large-scale energy storage deployment during a high-level Brainstorming Session on “Pumped Storage Projects: Powering India’s Renewable Future”, held at the SCOPE Convention Centre in New Delhi. Organized by THDC India Ltd. and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in association with NTPC, the forum united over 300 stakeholders across government, industry, and academia to push the frontier of grid-scale storage.
With support from CBIP and INCOLD, the event underscored pumped storage projects (PSPs) as central to managing the intermittency of renewables and achieving India’s net-zero commitments by 2070.
Key takeaways from the expert deliberations centered on the urgent need to simplify and accelerate PSP deployment through:
- Streamlined regulatory pathways to reduce approval bottlenecks
- Innovative financing frameworks to attract private and public capital
- State-level coordination to align grid management strategies with local renewable generation
- Integration of digital tools and automation to optimize PSP operation and lifecycle management
A strong consensus emerged around revamping procedural frameworks—from project identification to environmental clearance—and introducing policy-level enablers that promote speed and scalability. Participants emphasized that the transition to high-penetration renewables cannot be realized without robust, dispatchable storage infrastructure like PSPs.
In his keynote, Shri Pankaj Agarwal (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Power, called for a shift in perspective—from centralized grid dependency to sub-regional energy resilience, urging states to take ownership of their flexible generation and storage portfolios.
Shri Akash Tripathi (IAS), Additional Secretary (Hydro), noted that the workshop serves as a catalyst for unified sectoral action and policy alignment, crucial for turning conceptual projects into reality.
CEA’s Shri M.G. Gokhale announced that approximately 3 GW of PSP capacity is expected in 2025–26, including the upcoming 1000 MW variable-speed Tehri PSP—India’s first of its kind.
Industry voices, including Shri Gurdeep Singh (NTPC) and Shri R.K. Vishnoi (THDCIL), underscored the indispensable role of storage in enabling a stable, reliable, and flexible grid. Discussions also highlighted the potential for automation and AI-driven monitoring to enhance PSP efficiency, especially in remote or geologically complex sites.
The session closed with a shared acknowledgment: PSPs must become a strategic national priority, not just a policy option. Case studies from utilities, private developers, and leading technical institutions showcased replicable models and underscored the feasibility of large-scale deployment, provided structural hurdles are removed.
The forum concluded with a commitment to build a more enabling ecosystem for pumped storage development—one that integrates technology, policy, and environmental stewardship.
As India surges toward its renewable energy targets, events like this signal a vital course correction: recognizing storage as not merely supportive infrastructure, but as core energy infrastructure for a resilient, low-carbon future.
