Hydel project in Western Ghats gets in-principle nod from MoEFCC

Mumbai In July, the Maharashtra government signed an MoU worth ₹60,000 cr for setting up energy projects in the state. Now, Adani Green Energy Limited’s has received an in-principle nod from the union environment ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) for the 2100MW Patgaon pumped storage plant in Sindhudurg and Kolhapur on river valley and hydroelectric projects.

An environmental impact assessment (EIA) and social impact assessment will be carried out to gauge the dam’s impact on the surrounding ecology and wildlife, and to identify the number of project-affected persons in the 10km radius of the dam. About 70.40 ha of land requirement will be diverted from existing forest areas.

The project site is located in the lower slope in the Western Ghats, and electricity generated here is proposed to be transported to substations in Kolhapur and Goa. The project will consist of two water reservoirs created at different elevations -- one of which (the Patgaon Lake) built by harnessing the Vedganga River in 1998, an east flowing tributary of the Krishna -- with a turbine between the two to generate power as water is discharged over it. The water will then be pumped back from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir for future use.

“The scheme will involve using the existing Patgaon Lake as upper reservoir with 105Mm3 as gross capacity. The lower reservoir in this project envisages construction of Concrete/Colgrout masonry dam with the maximum height of 57.5 m for short reach for creation of lower reservoir of 13.75 Mm3 gross capacity. The Patgaon PSH is proposed in between the two reservoirs... and the required quantum of water for power generation will get stored in the reservoir through seasonal flow of water,” states a copy of the project’s pre-feasibility report.

The ₹8374 crore project is the second proposed pumped storage facility in Maharashtra to receive the Centre’s approval this year. In June, the ministry had approved JSW Neo energy’s 1500MW Bhavali pumped storage dam in Igatpuri. These projects are significant in light of Maharashtra’s 2050 net zero commitments, 20 years prior to India’s nationally determined 2070 target.

These developments are also in line with Maharashtra’s Unconventional Energy Policy, which aims to generate 17,385MW of renewable power (comprising 40% of total power generation) by 2030. As of 2021, at least 58 percent of Maharashtra’s installed power generation capacity consisted of coal, while renewables made up 31.23 per cent. Though Maharashtra has seen a 67% percent increase in the installed capacity of renewables between 2016-19, and their share is set to increase further with these projects.