Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project:
Karnataka government’s ambitious Sharavathi pumped storage hydroelectric project (PSHP) has ignited fierce debate with environmentalists and locals warning of irreversible ecological damage to the fragile Western Ghats ecosystem.
- Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (PSHP) is a pumped storage power project on the Sharavathi River in Karnataka.
- The Sharavathi River serves as a crucial source of hydroelectric power in Karnataka, and this project, with its planned total power generation capacity of 2000 MW, stands as the largest pumped storage power generation unit in the country.
- PSHP will be built between two existing reservoirs.
- The Talakalale dam, which stands at 62.48 meters tall, will be the upper reservoir. This dam currently helps balance water for the existing Sharavathy hydroelectric project.
- The Gerusoppa dam will be the lower reservoir, and it is about 64 meters tall.
- Water will be pumped uphill during the off-season using grid power and released downhill during peak demand to generate electricity.
- Modelled on the lines of Telangana’s Kaleshwaram project, it also aims to supply drinking water to Bengaluru.
- Five tunnels and eight pumping stations are critical parts of the plan.
