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Singareni plans State's first pumped storage power project near closed Medipally OC mine
Singareni plans State's first pumped storage power project near closed Medipally OC mine

The Hindu

time21-06-2025

  • Business
  • The Hindu

Singareni plans State's first pumped storage power project near closed Medipally OC mine

HYDERABAD The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) is planning to establish the State's first pumped storage (hydel) power project with 500 megawatt capacity as part of its plans of diversification and business expansion towards making the organisation sustainable in the wake of increasing competition in the field of coal mining. In addition to its main activity of coal mining, the company has already entered into thermal and solar power generation areas. The decision to go for a pumped storage power project was taken following the directions from the State government, which holds a majority stake of 51% in the company. After preliminary study on the scope of the pumped storage project, the company has decided to entrust the task of detail project report (DPR) preparation to the Central Government agency WAPCOS. The letter of award for DPR preparation was given to the company at a meeting held here on Saturday. According to Chairman and Managing Director of the SCCL N. Balaram, the pumped storage power project is being planned at the water storage area (sump) created following the closure of Medipally opencast mine in the Ramagundam-I area. He stated that neither the State power utility Genco nor any private company has planned/materialised a pumped storage power project in Telangana so far, though several such projects were taken up in the neighbouring States. Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka, who handles the portfolios of Energy and Finance, has already visited the closed Medipally opencast mine area before giving a go ahead for the new venture. The WAPCOS would take up a comprehensive study before preparing the DPR - including geological, geotechnical and hydrology studies as also civil, mechanical and electrical designs, environmental aspects and safety works. The estimated cost of the project, time for its execution and sale of energy generated at the project would be included in the DPR to be prepared by WAPCOS. Mr. Balaram explained that a 157-meter deep water sump/tank was created with the abandonment of the Medipally opencast mine after the extraction of coal reserves there and the rainwater stored in it would be available round-the-year. The cost of the project is expected to be around ₹3,000 crore and it would have a life of 40 years – generating cheap energy for 40 years. Another reservoir with 2,350 meters length and 23-meter depth in the upstream area would be created with the same water-holding capacity (9.64 million cubic meters) and aout 8 million cubic meters of rainwater in the sump downstream would be pumped into to the upstream stream reservoir in day-time with the help of solar energy. In the night, the water pumped into the upstream reservoir would be channelised into turbines to generate hydel energy.

Ready for discussions with A.P. on Bankacherla, but Centre's step-motherly treatment towards Telangana not acceptable: Revanth
Ready for discussions with A.P. on Bankacherla, but Centre's step-motherly treatment towards Telangana not acceptable: Revanth

The Hindu

time20-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Hindu

Ready for discussions with A.P. on Bankacherla, but Centre's step-motherly treatment towards Telangana not acceptable: Revanth

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed his readiness to hold talks with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the inter-State water disputes, particularly over the controversial Banakacherla project. In an informal chat with reporters in New Delhi on Friday (June 20), Mr. Reddy said he preferred dialogue over confrontation and inter-State water disputes can only be resolved through mutual understanding and cooperation. Mr. Revanth Reddy attributed the dispute to the Centre's unilateral acceptance of Andhra Pradesh's Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) without consulting Telangana. 'The urgency with which Centre responded after A.P. submitted the PFR is a concern,' he pointed out stressing for a balanced approach in dealing with such sensitive inter-State issues. Mr. Reddy opined that if Mr. Chandrababu Naidu wants to regain power, diverting Godavari water is a key aspect. If Mr. Modi wants his seat, he needs Mr. Chandrababu's support. But such strategic interests must not undermine Telangana's rights,' he said. The Chief Minister, who is in New Delhi for the last two days to represent to the Central government, said such matters should be addressed through legal and technical evaluation, not political blame game. These disputes were between States and not individuals, he said. The Chief Minister clarified that the Banakacherla project was an ancillary project to Polavaram, the only project specifically permitted under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The new project cannot go ahead without Telangana's consent given its direct connection to the Godavari-Penna linkage. 'A.P. issued two GOs in 2016 and 2018. Based on these, WAPCOS presented a 150-page report. The Banakacherla project proposes transferring 400 TMC in 86 days. Telangana has been allocated 968 TMCft from the Godavari as an upper riparian State, and Telangana must be allowed to fully utilise its share first,' he said. The issue would be taken up at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for June 23.

‘Engineers decided, cabinet okayed': KCR justifies KLIP nod
‘Engineers decided, cabinet okayed': KCR justifies KLIP nod

Time of India

time11-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Time of India

‘Engineers decided, cabinet okayed': KCR justifies KLIP nod

Hyderabad: Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday appeared before Justice (Retd) P C Ghose commission, which is probing structural failures at the Medigadda barrage and damages at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, and sought to firmly distance the political executive from any unilateral decision-making in Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He asserted that all major decisions — ranging from the re-engineering of the project to the construction and operation of its key barrages — were made based on the recommendations of technical and expert committees and were formally approved by the state cabinet. "This is a massive technical project, and every decision was taken by engineers, irrigation experts, and subject committees. The cabinet only gave formal policy sanction," he is believed to have told the commission. KCR stressed that the then BRS govt acted on expert advice, followed due administrative procedures, and relied on the collective wisdom of the cabinet throughout the execution of the Rs 1 lakh crore mega project. He also noted that Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS), a Central govt agency, had conducted the survey for the construction of the three barrages. Justice Ghose posed 18 pointed questions during the 50-minute session. KCR explained that the project plan was revised after expert reports and WAPCOS flagged concerns over inadequate water availability at the original site, Tummidihatti. The commission summoned him as witness number 115, given that the Kaleshwaram project was conceived and executed during his tenure. KCR pointed out that the Maharashtra govt had objected to the proposed barrage at Tummidihatti being constructed at a height of 152m. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Lowering the height to 148m, as suggested, would have rendered the project unviable due to insufficient water availability. Since Central Water Commission (CWC) also raised concerns, he said, the decision to shift the project to Medigadda was both inevitable and scientifically justified. Medigadda, he explained, offered a more favourable location with an assured water availability of 230 tmcft for lifting — significantly higher than at Tummidihatti. KCR held the irrigation portfolio when the three major barrages — Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla — were completed and inaugurated in 2019. Responding to questions on the formation of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation (KLIC), KCR said the special purpose vehicle was created to raise loans, as revenue generation had not yet begun. The state govt, he added, provided budgetary support for the repayment of principal and interest, and extended sovereign guarantees to lending agencies. On the allegation that the barrages were used as storage points beyond their design capacity, he described it as a "technical call" made by engineers based on field realities. He noted that Rs 280 crore had been allocated for maintenance and over 4,000 engineers had worked on the project, ensuring oversight at every level. To reinforce his position, the BRS chief submitted to the commission a booklet titled Kaleshwaram: A Lift Line of Telangana, along with records of all govt orders, approvals from central agencies like CWC, and minutes of key decisions made during the project's execution. The cross-examination began at 12 pm and concluded at 12.50 pm. With the inquiry entering a sensitive phase, KCR's deposition is being seen as a clear political signal. "The state's most ambitious irrigation venture was built on expert advice, not personal whim — a line likely to define the BRS's counter-narrative as accountability questions continue to mount," a senior observer noted.

KCR to depose today before panel probing Kaleshwaram row
KCR to depose today before panel probing Kaleshwaram row

The Hindu

time10-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Hindu

KCR to depose today before panel probing Kaleshwaram row

Hyderabad As the inquiry into the 'collapsed' Medigadda barrage deepens with claims and contradictions by both the ruling Congress and BRS, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will depose before the P.C. Ghose Commission on Wednesday. Amidst the confusion over the project's idea, shifting of location and discrepancies in permission dates and actual grounding of project, the spotlight is on KCR as he is the 'man behind the Kaleshwaram project'. The Congress government claims that contradicting statements made by former ministers Eatala Rajender, Tummala Nageswara Rao and T. Harish Rao on how the Medigadda barrage was conceived, approved, and executed, throw light on the deeper issues. Hornet's nest Finance Minister under BRS government and now BJP MP Mr. Rajender's claim that construction of the Medigadda barrage was taken up as per the decision of a Cabinet Sub-Committee has stirred up a hornet's nest. He apparently also claimed that the KLIP was approved by the Cabinet. But these claims were rebutted by current Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was part of the same sub-committee. He categorically denied that the panel had any role in approving the Medigadda barrage, and said that the GO granting administrative sanction for its construction was issued before the panel was even formed. Records reveal that on March 1, 2016, the GO was issued for the construction of Medigadda, and the Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted two weeks later, on March 15, 2016, to study the re-engineering of irrigation projects. Mr. Nageswara Rao released these documents to support his claim that sanction was given much before the sub-committee was formed. Meanwhile, former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, who also deposed before the Commission, claimed that the Medigadda barrage was built on the recommendations of the Central Water Design (CWD) body and consultancy firm WAPCOS. However, Government sources reveal that on April 2, 2015, the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department wrote to the Principal Secretary requesting the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Medigadda. Subsequently, on April 13, 2015, the government issued a GO officially assigning WAPCOS the task of preparing the DPR for Medigadda. Pointing this out, the government now claims that the project appears to have been pre-decided at the highest level rather than driven by a consultancy recommendation. Now, KCR's deposition will be critical in determining the mismatch in the conflicting claims of Mr. Rajender, Mr. Nageswar Rao and Mr. Harish Rao. Some of the questions likely to be posed to him are: Why was the project site shifted from Tummidihatti to Medigadda?, Was there any Cabinet approval for the project?, Were there design or execution flaws flagged during construction?, Why were bills cleared before the performance tests, and what steps were taken after NDSA and Vigilance raised quality and structural concerns?

MoU signed for pumped storage project
MoU signed for pumped storage project

Hans India

time08-06-2025

  • Business
  • Hans India

MoU signed for pumped storage project

Bhubaneswar: The State-run Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) on Friday signed an MoU with Central enterprise Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) Limited for project management for the upper Indravati pumped storage venture. The agreement was signed here in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Development Commissioner Anu Garg for project management consultancy services for the 600 MW upper Indravati pumped storage project (UIPSP) at Mukhiguda in Kalahandi district. The detailed project report of the UIPSP has been prepared through WAPCOS. The upper Indravati pumped storage project is an energy storage system that pumps water from the lower to the upper reservoir during surplus power available in the grid, and the same water is released to generate electricity during peak demand, it said. The OHPC is constructing a 600 MW pumped storage project in the vicinity of its existing upper Indravati hydroelectric project. The collaboration marks a crucial step in advancing Odisha's energy sector while ensuring efficiency and sustainability, Singh Deo said. The proposed pumped storage project will have an underground powerhouse located near the lower reservoir, equipped with four vertical-axis reversible-type Francis Hydroelectric units, having a capacity of 150 MW each and will operate in pumping as well as generating mode at different times of a day, he added.

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