BENGALURU: The Union Ministry of Power has drawn up an extensive plan for generating 100 Giga Watt (GW) of green stored power, and Karnataka has committed to contribute 10% (10 GW) to this by 2034–35.
The ministry had drawn this plan, taking inputs and commitments from all states. Karnataka energy department had listed 2,000MW from Sharavathi pumped storage project (PSP) in Shivamogga and 1,600MW from Saundatti power project in Belagavi.
But now, clearance for the Sharavathi project is in limbo. Sources in Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), the agency implementing the project, said, “There is no Plan-B, if this project does not see through. The Karnataka state wildlife board referred the project to the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). We are waiting for approvals.
It is already delayed by two years. Even if clearances are obtained by March 2027, the project will be completed by 2037. But if no clearances are obtained, we will have to scrap the project.”
Experts working with the government and conservationists opposing the project before the courts said the state government should now think of alternatives amidst strong opposition from all quarters.
“Two PSPs are being implemented in Karnataka by private firms – 1,600MW in Saundatti and 300MW at Narihalla in Sandoor, Ballari. For the state, the Sharavathi project has become a matter of pride, they can instead use the allocated money for enhancing the capacity of other projects being implemented in the state.
They can also partner with other states implementing the PSPs with the same cost. But no other option is being looked at. The government should also look at high-end battery storage options and technological advances done in this sector,” said an expert and petitioner in court.
According to KPCL data, the project cost which earlier was Rs 8,644 crore increased to Rs 10,240 crore. It sees a year-on-year escalation of 7–12%. Even before the commencement of the project, Rs 382 crore has been spent since 2021. With increased power demand, the state’s Resource Adequacy Plan is being revised and so will the cost of the Sharavathi project.
The Sharavathi project had obtained Ministry of Power approval in 2024-25. It now seeks environmental, forest and wildlife clearance to part with 38.984 hectares of protected forest land, including a portion of India’s first and only Lion Tailed Macaque Reserve in Shivamogga. Under the compensatory afforestation plan, the state is offering 54.15Ha of revenue land near Melugiri village in Chikkamagaluru.
Power and Climate Policy Analyst Shankar Sharma said the Central Electricity Authority has identified enormous PSP potential in India. While the potential has been identified, the requirement for storage capacity or a commitment to construct all the projects has not been identified. There is thus a need for scientific reports on whether compensatory afforestation in place of rich and thick tropical rain forests like in Western Ghats can be effective if the site for afforestation is chosen in a different geographic location.