Major pumped hydro energy storage project agreements in India, Spain

Both agreements are significant for each market. For instance, India continues to add to its growing PHES development pipeline, with the Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA) having fast-tracked a further 2,500MW of PHES on Sunday (22 September), adding to the 2,600MW announced in August.

This is another significant PHES development for Spain. The country already boasts 18 PHES power plants with an installed capacity of 6GW, with eyes to steadily increase this over the coming years to provide grid stability.

MEIL signs MoU for 4,000MW of PHES

Under the terms of the MoU, MEIL will develop two PHES projects in Nandurbar District and the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District of Marahastra, encompassing the Ghosla and Kamod PHES projects, respectively.

Although the size of each PHES project has not been unveiled, MEIL said that each will be capable of providing a minimum of six hours of energy storage daily. MEIL added that it plans to complete the Ghosla Pumped Storage Project within three and a half years, while the Kamod Pumped Storage Project is expected to be completed in five years.

Both projects will use a closed-loop system by constructing new upper and lower reservoirs. Each powerhouse will install reversible pump turbines, generators, and other ancillary systems between the two reservoirs. These will be interconnected through a water conductor system.

This partnership is also significant as it is MEIL’s first to be agreed upon under the ‘Build-Operate-Maintain (BOM)’ method.

The Indian state of Maharashtra continues to attract interest from prospective PHES developers. As aforementioned in this article, the local government recently fast-tracked 2,500MW of projects to be pursued in the region.

The two projects include the 1,500MW Bhavali PHES project, which JSW Energy, a part of the Indian conglomerate JSW Group, is pursuing, and the 1,000MW Bhivpuri PHES site, which Tata Power is developing. Together, the long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects will provide 15GWh of energy to the grid, providing stability.

Both Tata Power and JSW Energy confirmed that they will now fast-track the commissioning phase of their respective projects, hoping to complete it in 44 to 46 months.

Iberdrola to build 440MW PHES project in south western Spain

Yesterday, Iberdrola announced that the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge had given it the green light to develop its 440MW/16,280MWh Alcántara II reversible hydroelectric pumping station, in south western Spain.

The PHES site will be able to supply electricity to the grid for up to 37 hours using the reservoirs created by the existing dams. Uniquely, all the hydraulic circuits, including the power plant, have been designed underground in a shaft.

The new plant will connect the lower reservoir of Cedillo to the upper reservoir of Alcántara using a 0.9km long double underground hydraulic circuit. It will utilise two reversible turbines with a capacity of 220MW to harness the 108m level difference between the reservoirs.

According to Iberdrola, the site’s reversible element will improve the management and use of the existing hydroelectric system on the Tagus River. It will take around five-years to fully construct.

It’s worth noting that last year, the project received €45 million (US$50 million) from the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) for being recognised as “the best proposal in terms of economic viability and technical characteristics enabling the integration of renewable energy”. This funding was part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, which is funded by the European Union under Next Generation EU.

Spain’s Ministry of Ecological Transition, effectively the government’s energy department, has just signed into law the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which includes a target to deploy 22.5GW of energy storage by 2030.