GE Vernova commissions India’s first variable speed pumped storage unit

With this 1 GW expansion, the complex will reach 2.4 GW of generating capacity and become India’s largest hydropower complex. The project’s reservoir will also help provide support with irrigation and drinking water during non-monsoon periods to the state of Uttarakhand, where it is located.

Frederic Ribieras, CEO of GE Vernova’s hydropower business, commented: “With this project, Tehri will become India’s first power plant to use variable speed pumped storage technology and the country’s most modern hydropower station. With fast transition between the turbine and pump operation, the four new units are expected to enable power control, leading to significantly improved grid flexibility. These are all crucial capabilities as more renewables are integrated into the country’s energy mix.”

Hydropower remains a cornerstone of India's renewable energy landscape, with an installed capacity of approximately 51 GW as of early 2024, positioning the nation as fifth globally in hydroelectric capacity.

Pumped storage units help stabilise the grid by acting as giant batteries. Water is pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir in times of surplus energy and, in times of demand, water from the upper reservoir is released, generating electricity as the water passes through the turbine. This technology is the largest source of long duration energy storage globally, representing about 94% of total energy storage capacity, according to the International Hydropower Association.

For this project, GE Vernova capitalised on its broad portfolio of technologies to generate, transfer, and store power to deliver a full water to wire solution, spanning from electrical, hydraulic machines to converters. The project includes the integration of the four doubly fed induction motor generators and the associated pump turbines with the power electronics and control systems.

Tehri hydropower complex includes:

• 1 GW Tehri hydropower plant commissioned in 2006.
• 400 MW Koteshwar hydropower plant commissioned in 2012.
• 1 GW Tehri pumped storage hydropower plant, where GE Vernova is currently delivering four 250 MW pumped storage variable speed doubly fed systems, under an order signed in 2011 with THDC.

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