Pumped Storage Projects: Are They Really Useful?

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Aruna PSP

Study terms approved (ToR) (as of 30 April 2026) · THDC India · Inside draft ESA

1,500MW

Not disclosedtrees to be felled

73.6ha of forest land

2villages named

  1. MoU signed
  2. Study terms (ToR)
  3. Forest clearance
  4. Construction
  5. Operating
Forest (ha) 73.6 Documented“approximately 334.45 ha, of which about 73.60 ha falls within forest land, while the”EAC 53rd meeting minutes, 29–30 Apr 2026 (Aruna ToR, item 53.5), page100 · 30 April 2026
Total land (ha) 334.45 Documented“Aruna Open Loop Pumped Storage Project (1500 MW) in an area of 334.45 Ha located”EAC 53rd meeting minutes, 29–30 Apr 2026 (Aruna ToR, item 53.5), page208 · 30 April 2026
Capacity (MW) 1,500 Reported“…at the draft stage, the developer has also been directed to obtain prior clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). 1,500 MW Aruna Pumped Storage Project, Maharashtra THDC India Limited secured ToR recommendation for the 1,500 MW Aruna Open Loop Pum…”Power Peak Digest: EAC 53rd meeting, ToR for Amba and Aruna · 8 May 2026
Storage (GWh) 9 (estimate) Documented“Capacity / Cultural command area (CC 1500 MW/ 9000 MWH pumped storage compone”EAC 53rd meeting minutes, 29–30 Apr 2026 (Aruna ToR, item 53.5), page95 · 30 April 2026
Cost (₹ crore) 9,126.1 Reported“…MW Aruna Open Loop Pumped Storage Project in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra. The project, estimated to cost Rs 9,126.10 crore, will include six reversible Francis turbine units of 250 MW each and is expected to generate 3,120.75 million units annual…”Power Peak Digest: EAC 53rd meeting, ToR for Amba and Aruna · 8 May 2026
Location16.5944°N, 73.8554°E (exact)Documented“Upper Reservoir Coordinates: 16°35'39.87"N, 73°51'19.51"E”EAC 53rd meeting minutes, 29–30 Apr 2026 (Aruna ToR, item 53.5), page94 · 30 April 2026
DistrictKolhapur, Sindhudurg, Gaganbawada, Vaibhavwadi
VillagesVesaraf, Mounde
MoU signed4 September 2024

Sources disagree

Capacity (MW)

1,950 MW was the Sep 2024 MoU figure; the ToR is for 1,500 MW.

Forest (ha)

73.60 ha is the project's forest land total; 117.81 ha is the forest share of submergence in the same minutes. Submergence forest cannot exceed total forest, so one figure is wrong.

Notes

  • Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) The central committee of experts that recommends ToR and EC for river valley and hydro projects, including PSPs. More in glossary → recommended Terms of Reference (ToR) The list of studies an EIA must cover, set by the expert committee. Getting a ToR is the first clearance step, not a permission to build. More in glossary → at its 53rd meeting (29–30 Apr 2026).
  • The upper reservoir is reported to fall inside the Gaganbawada Conservation Reserve and the project villages in the proposed Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) About 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats proposed for protection since 2014; still only a draft, reissued six times. More in glossary → .
  • THDC must revise the Memorandum of understanding (MoU) A non-binding agreement between the state and a developer to study and build a project at a site, with a water allocation. More in glossary → from 1,950 MW to 1,500 MW.
  • Total and forest area not reported; needs the ToR minutes.
  • Primary record (EAC 53rd minutes, item 53.5, proposal IA/MH/RIV/574543/2026): 334.45 ha = 73.60 ha forest + 260.85 ha non-forest.
  • Upper dam near Vesaraf (Gaganbawada, Kolhapur) on a Kumbhi tributary; lower dam near Mounde (Vaibhavwadi, Sindhudurg) on an Aruna tributary.
  • Six hours of generation a day (storage about 9 MW, MWh and GWh MW is how fast power flows; MWh (or GWh = 1,000 MWh) is how much energy is stored or delivered. More in glossary → , our estimate).
  • The same minutes list total submergence of 127.81 ha with 117.81 ha forest, more than the 73.60 ha forest total: an internal inconsistency in the record.

Timeline

Category

  1. · Clearance Reported #

    EAC recommends ToR for Amba and Aruna Pumped storage project (PSP) Two reservoirs at different heights: water is pumped up when power is cheap and released through turbines when power is needed. More in glossary →

    Details and documents

    53rd meeting (29–30 Apr). Amba (1,500 MWReported“The proposals include pumped storage projects by NTPC Limited, Greenko BR01 IREP Private Limited, and THDC India Limited, along with the Niare Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh. 1,500 MW Amba Pumped Storage Project, Maharashtra”Power Peak Digest: EAC 53rd meeting, ToR for Amba and Aruna · 8 May 2026, 272.21 haReported“…Storage Project in Pune and Raigad districts of Maharashtra. The project will comprise six units of 250 MW each and will require 272.21 hectares of land. The scheme includes an upper reservoir linked to the Pawana River basin and a lower reservoir connected to the…”Power Peak Digest: EAC 53rd meeting, ToR for Amba and Aruna · 8 May 2026) lies wholly in the proposed Ghats ESA; Aruna's upper reservoir is reported to be inside the Gaganbawada Conservation Reserve.

    Amba PSP · Aruna PSP · Power Peak Digest: EAC 53rd meeting, ToR for Amba and Aruna

  2. · MoU signed, no clearance yet Reported #

    THDC signs MoU for six PSPs (6,790 MW)

    Details and documents

    Includes Malshej Ghat (700 MWReported“…rances and approvals in a timely manner. The six planned projects under the MoU include the Malshej Ghat Pumped Storage Project (700 MW), the Aruna Pumped Storage Project (1,950 MW), the Kharari Pumped Storage Project (1,250 MW), the Humbarli Birmani Pumped Stor…”Renewable Watch: THDC MoU for six PSPs (6,790 MW) · 4 September 2024) and Aruna (1,950 MWReported“…he six planned projects under the MoU include the Malshej Ghat Pumped Storage Project (700 MW), the Aruna Pumped Storage Project (1,950 MW), the Kharari Pumped Storage Project (1,250 MW), the Humbarli Birmani Pumped Storage Project (1,000 MW), the Aruna Kolamb Pump…”Renewable Watch: THDC MoU for six PSPs (6,790 MW) · 4 September 2024); both were later appraised at different capacities.Reported“THDCIL inks MoU with Maharashtra government for 6790 MW PSPs Advertisment Solar”Renewable Watch: THDC MoU for six PSPs (6,790 MW) · 4 September 2024

    THDC Malshej Ghat PSP · Aruna PSP · Renewable Watch: THDC MoU for six PSPs (6,790 MW)

Sources

Confidence: verified