NHDC's 4,220 cr power project to meet state’s peak hour energy demands

The Narmada Hydroelectric development corporation Ltd (NHDC) has announced its plan to construct a 525 MW pumped storage power project. This will take place at the Indira Sagar dam, Khandwa Madhya Pradesh. The announcement came on Friday, 9th June. The project is going to utilise the existing reservoirs of Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar Dam that are part of the “Indira Sagar Project”. The aim of this project is to address the increasing demand for energy during the peak hours of morning and evening through this project.

According to Ministry of Power, the cost of the project is around 4,200 crore rupees. Further, the project is expected to generate 1,226.93 million units of energy during peak hours. The Ministry firmly believes that the state of Madhya Pradesh has the potential to operate an 11.2 GW of Pumped Storage project. 

About NHDC 

NHDC is a joint venture between the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the government of Madhya Pradesh. NHPC is the largest hydropower development organisation in India. They undertake all activities from conceptualisation to commissioning of hydro projects and have now diversified into solar and wind energy development. 

Two power stations of NHDC, the Indira Sagar Power Station (1000 MW) and the Omkareshwar Power Station (520 MW) are said to be in operation currently. The entire power generated through these stations is supplied to the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Green Energy

The NHDC has further plans to make Madhya Pradesh a green state. The state is planning to achieve this through the construction of an 8 MW solar project in Sanchi and another 88 MW floating solar project in Omkareshwar Reservoir. These projects are currently in progress.
Last year, NHDC invited bids for the Solar project at the Omkareshwar Reservoir. This bid was won by Tata Power Solar Systems, a subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL). They won a letter award of 596 crore, to set up a floating solar project of 125 Mwp. This is said to be one of the largest floating solar projects in the country and could be a game changer for renewable energy.

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