Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday called for the establishment of more green energy plants in the years to come while reducing the dependence on fossil fuels for power generation.
The chief minister laid the foundation stone for the world’s largest integrated renewable energy storage power project (IRESP) that aims to generate 5,230 MW of electricity at Gummitham Thanda near Pinnapuram in the Kurnool district.
He performed the first concrete pour ceremony for the project, being set up by Greenko Group.
Jagan said what Andhra Pradesh was showcasing would be a triggering point for the entire country to follow in the days to come. “The usage of fossil fuel for power generation will take a backseat and renewable energy resources the front seat,” he said.
The chief minister said his government would offer an exclusive opportunity for industrialists interested in setting up green power plants. “Our topography is such that we have the capacity of 33,000 megawatts (MW) available in the state, and this project will show the country how green power can be generated,” Jagan said.
He said the Pinnapuram IRESP project would help decarbonisation to the tune of 50 GWh of electricity daily, offsetting 15 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions per annum, which is equivalent to replacing five million cars with electric vehicles or 2.5 million hectares of afforestation.
{{/usCountry}}He said the Pinnapuram IRESP project would help decarbonisation to the tune of 50 GWh of electricity daily, offsetting 15 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions per annum, which is equivalent to replacing five million cars with electric vehicles or 2.5 million hectares of afforestation.
{{/usCountry}}Managing director and founder-CEO of Greenko Anil Chalamalasetty said Andhra Pradesh would become an energy storage capital of India on the back of its favourable topography. “This integrated solution is pivotal for the nation to become energy independent and establishes it as a leader of decarbonised economies,” he added.
The project
The Pinnapuram IRESP is a single location energy storage project with wind and solar power generating plants linked to pumped storage hydro-electric facility. “It has three components – a solar power plant of 3,000 MW capacity, a wind power plant of 550 MW capacity and a pumped storage plant of 1680 MW,” said a senior technical officer of the Greenko.
The Pinnapuram pumped storage facility would comprise a lower reservoir, an upper reservoir, and a subsurface powerhouse. The powerhouse comprises six turbine generators each of 240 MW capacity, and two generators, each of 120 MW capacity.
The lower reservoir will draw around 1.5 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) of water existing in Gorakallu (Narasimharaya Sagar) reservoir, located approximately 80 km away from the IRESP. The water from the lower reservoir will be pumped to the upper reservoir using reversible turbines for storage. It will utilise approximately 1,140 MW of electricity to pump 1 tmc of water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir for storage in 9.2 hours.
The official said: “Solar energy is generated only during the daytime and wind only during certain hours, particularly in the evening hours, when there might not be much demand for power. So, using solar and wind power, we shall pump water from lower reservoir to upper reservoir – thereby converting the electric energy into potential energy.”
During the night hours, when the power demand would be at its peak, the water from the upper reservoir is released into the lower reservoir through the powerhouse generating hydroelectricity through turbine mode.
“Such facility to supply scheduled power on demand (SPOD) is a first-of-its-kind project in the country, and it is designed for both peak load and baseload functioning. The hybrid power generation unit can supply up to 7 billion units of electricity a year,” he said.
The official said 1.5 tmc of water would be drawn from Gorakallu reservoir only once, and it would be pumped from lower to upper and vice versa. “We shall require more water from the reservoir only to offset the evaporation loss,” he added. The project, which is coming up with an investment of over $ 3 billion, is expected to be completed by 2024.