VIJAYAWADA
AP-Genco’s 1350-MW pumped storage hydro power plant at upper Sileru is going to be the first such project in the public sector in Andhra Pradesh (AP) but it has almost seven years to go on stream from now. March 31, 2029 is its targeted completion date. The Water and Power Consultancy Services Limited (WAPCOS) which is a unit of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, is preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
According to official sources, the tender value of this Pumped Storage Project (PSP) has been pegged at ₹8,870 crore excluding Goods and Services Tax (GST) and infrastructure development charges. The tenders are likely to be finalised by the end of this year and the Letter of Intent is likely to be issued by May 1, 2023, according to highly-placed sources in AP-Genco.
Meanwhile, efforts are under way to raise a loan from the Rural Electrification Corporation or the Power Finance Corporation.
The upper Sileru pumped storage plant will have nine units of 150 MW each, which will utilise water from Guntawada (upper) and Donkarai (lower) reservoirs.
The 1,680 MW PSP of Greenko Energies Pvt. Ltd, being set up near Pinnapuram village in Kurnool district is the largest such project in the private sector as of now. It is part of the 5,230 MW Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Project which is touted to be the world’s largest Gigawatt-scale integrated project with solar, wind and pumped storage components.
As these projects are commissioned in phases, the total installed capacity in the State will be going up substantially from the existing 7,189 MW with thermal accounting for a large chunk of it at 5,010 MW.
