Rajasthan Govt's MoU with Coal India Limited Set to Rejuvenate 200 MW Pumped Storage Plant

The 200 MW Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) to be established in Jawahar Sagar Dam of Kota is one of the many projects which are part of the MoU signed between Coal India Limited (CIL) and Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) to generate 4100 MW of electricity in the state.

Kota: As Coal India Limited (CIL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) to generate 4100 MW of electricity in the state, the agreement is expected to give a new lease of life to the much awaited 200 MW Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) to be established in Jawahar Sagar Dam of Kota.

The CIL on Monday March 11 signed the MoU for 2×800 MW coal-based pit-head power plants, 2000 MW solar power project in RRVUNL’s solar park; a 200 MW (2×100) pump storage project at Jawahar Sagar; a 250 MW solar project on the land acquired for Banswara TPP by RRVUNL; and a 50 MW wind project at the existing Ramgarh gas project, Jaisalmer.

The 200 MW Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) was originally planned about 40 years ago, but the project could not materialise owing to certain reasons.

Sanjay Joshi, Executive Engineer (Renovation, Modernization and Upgradation RM&U) of RRVUNL, said that in the year 1982, the authorities had planned to set up a pumped storage plant at Jawahar Sagar Dam itself.

Joshi informed that under as part of the CIL agreement, a water reservoir will be built on the hill, in the jurisdiction of Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve, near Jawahar Sagar Dam.

For this, the water of Chambal river will be taken to the 191 feet high hill located near JS Dam throuhg about 500 meters long pipeline.

The XEN said that a DPR will be made to determine whether separate storage water bodies will be made for both the units of the power plant on the hill or a single water storage reserve should be made. With the water reservoir planned to be set up on a hill located in Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve, permission will have to be taken from the Environment Ministry.

According to officials, getting the environmental clearance from the ministry would be the biggest challenge.

According to the officials of RVUNL Hydro Power Plant, the then engineers had prepared the DPR for the PSP plant in 1983-84 with the estimated cost of around Rs 100 to 150 crores. However, with the cost escalation over the years, the estimated cost would be around Rs 600 crore.