India Taps into 200 GW Pumped Hydro Potential, 8 GW Projects Already Underway

06 Aug 2025

India has identified a pumped storage potential exceeding 200 GW nationwide. Of this, around 8 GW is currently under construction, while approximately 61 GW is in various stages of planning and development, as per the Ministry of Power.

The information was shared during a Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of Power, chaired by Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal. Held on August 4, the meeting focused on India’s energy storage roadmap and long-term energy security. It was attended by the Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shripad Yesso Naik; Members of Parliament from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; senior officials from the Ministry; representatives of Central PSUs; and experts from the Central Electricity Authority.

According to the Ministry, India already has an installed capacity of about 6.4 GW of pumped storage projects (PSPs). The minister said the development of PSPs is being supported through various policy measures, including a full waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) charges for projects whose construction is awarded by June 2028.

The Ministry has earmarked ?9,160 crore under its Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme to support the development of 43 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), marking it as one of the most ambitious and large-scale energy storage initiatives globally.