India plans to unlock 100 gigawatt (GW) of hydro pumped storage capacity over the next two decades as it races to stabilise a power system increasingly dominated by solar and wind, according to a roadmap prepared by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
The strategy positions pumped storage as the backbone of grid-scale energy storage, critical for managing peak demand, ensuring round-the-clock power supply and supporting the country’s Net Zero transition.
The roadmap identified over 120 potential pumped storage sites across the country with an estimated total potential exceeding 180 GW, of which 100 GW is targeted for development by 2047. About 22 GW of projects are already under various stages of development, while another 50-60 GW have been shortlisted for phased rollout by 2032–37, aligned with India’s renewable energy expansion trajectory.
Pumped storage, which uses surplus electricity to pump water uphill and generate power during peak demand, is emerging as India’s most cost-effective long-duration storage option. CEA estimates showed that hydro pumped storage offers 8-10 hours of storage at significantly lower lifecycle costs than battery energy storage systems, making it essential as renewable capacity crosses 500 GW by 2030.
The roadmap projected cumulative investments of Rs 5-6 lakh crore to build the targeted 100 GW capacity, with a strong role envisaged for public-private partnerships, market-based storage procurement and viability gap funding to improve project bankability. States such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are expected to anchor the first wave of capacity additions, leveraging existing reservoirs and off-river closed-loop systems to minimise environmental and social impacts.
Crucially, the plan linked pumped storage deployment with resource adequacy planning, proposing that storage be treated on par with generation capacity in long-term power procurement. Experts also called for faster clearances, standardised tariffs and priority transmission connectivity to avoid bottlenecks that have historically slowed large hydro projects.
With peak electricity demand projected to nearly double to over 450 GW by 2047, officials argued that without large-scale pumped storage, India’s clean energy transition risks becoming grid-constrained and cost-inefficient. The 100 GW target, they said, is no longer optional but foundational to a reliable, renewable-heavy power system.