Costly affair? Off-river power storage projects to cause 'massive submergence'

By Shankar Sharma*
A recent news item, "Greenko secures Rs 5,500 cr loan for first off-river power storage project", indicates a proposal to build India's first "off-river energy storage project" in Andhra Pradesh. There is a potential for serious concerns for civil society with such projects, a number of which can come up in different parts of the country in the near future, and threaten our communities in many ways.
The news article says: "An off-river energy storage project involves construction of two large water reservoirs at two ends of a gradient on a stretch of land. During the day, the storage facility uses solar energy to pump the water from the bottom reservoir to the top. At night the water is pumped down to generate hydro energy."
Whereas this is also the concept of a pumped storage hydel power project, such an "off-river energy storage project" can be seen as a lot more costly to the society, as compared to a conventional type of pumped storage hydel power project, wherein the reservoirs are located on the river itself, and hence the land area to be submerged will be much less.
Whereas even such conventional type of pumped storage hydel power project have multiple concerns for our communities, an "off-river energy storage project" can certainly be associated with a lot more societal costs, since hundreds of hectares of land, mostly agricultural lands, may have to be submerged, and a large quantity of water may have to be diverted from the existing fresh water bodies such as a river or a lake.
Whereas it is not known as to where will the water come from for the proposed project in Andhra Pradesh, and how much water will be diverted for a 1,200 MW capacity plant, what seems to be more certain is the fact that a considerable area of land may have to be submerged, and enormous quantity of water will have to be diverted, along with a demand for vast quantities of construction material for two artificial reservoirs and other associated infrastructure.

We have lost vast stretches of forest and farm lands in India in the name of developmental projects

There is a critical need for our society to diligently examine the costs, benefits and real need for such peak hour plants, or night support projects. It must be emphasised here that in all cases of pumped storage hydel power plants there will be a net loss of energy to the state/utility because the energy required to pump water from lower reservoir to the upper reservoir will be about 25% more than the electrical energy that can be generated from the same quantity of water.

There are much benign alternatives in place of such "off-river power storage projects" in the form of energy storage battery systems, and operational measures such as demand side management. Can our resource constrained and densely populous country afford to lose so much of our natural resources (land and water) for such non-essential purposes? We have already lost vast stretches of forest and agricultural lands in our country in the name of such 'developmental projects' even when there were many benign alternatives.
I am of the considered opinion that the associated massive costs to the society from such "off-river power storage projects" in particular, and from pumped storage hydel power plants in general, must be carefully evaluated, compared with benign alternatives available to our society, and effectively discussed with all the stake-holders before proceeding with such high impact projects.
Can we hope that Andhra Pradesh will not set an example for a hugely costly and avoidable project experiment?
---
*Power and climate policy analyst, Sagara, Karnataka

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog