According to the recently available information from the Minister of State for Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, GoI has taken various initiatives to promote development of hydro Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs). Some of those are listed hereafter.
GoI has extended budgetary support towards cost of enabling infrastructure, i.e., roads, bridges, ropeways, railway siding, communication infrastructure and transmission line from power house to the nearest pooling point, including upgradation of pooling substations of State or Central Transmission Utility.
The Ministry of Power (MoP) in April, 2023 issued guidelines to promote development of PSPs. These guidelines provide various methods of allotment of PSP sites, exemption from free power obligation or local area development fund, rationalisation of environmental clearance process and utilisation of exhausted coal mines etc.
GoI has waived off the Inter State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for PSPs for which construction work is awarded on or before 30.06.2028.
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has published revised guidelines for formulation and concurrence of Detailed Project Reports (DPR) of PSPs. Under the revised guidelines, the timeline for concurrence of DPR has been reduced from 90 days to 50 days for all type of PSPs.
CEA has launched the ‘Jal Vidyut DPR’ portal for monitoring Survey and Investigation (S&I) activities of HEPs and PSPs.
