New Delhi: GE Vernova on Monday said it has secured an order from Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) to deliver nine 150 MW pumped-storage units for the 1.35 GW Upper Sileru hydropower plant, which is a Pumped Storage Project (PSP), in Andhra Pradesh, with completion targeted by 2030. At 1.35 GW, the company said the Upper Sileru facility will be “among the largest pumped-storage hydropower projects in India.”
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Once operational, the project “will be able to store and supply enough electricity equivalent to the annual needs of about three million Indian homes,” GE Vernova said. The company added that the pumped-storage project “is expected to play a critical role in supporting India’s energy transition by providing long-duration energy storage that helps balance growing solar and wind capacity on the national grid.”
It noted that the facility’s ability to switch between pumping and generating modes will support “grid reliability, peak demand management, and frequency regulation at scale.”
MEIL said, “The Upper Sileru pumped-storage project is a landmark development for India’s energy transition. Partnering once again with GE Vernova allows us to leverage proven pumped-storage technology to deliver reliable, large-scale energy storage that will support grid stability and enable greater integration of renewable power across the country.”
GE Vernova said its scope includes “design, engineering, manufacturing, testing, supply, transportation, and supervision of erection, testing and commissioning” of the nine units, along with control and governing systems.
The nine vertical Francis reversible units are designed for “high efficiency, operational flexibility, and a long service life,” enabling reliable performance over decades, it added.
This marks the second pumped-storage project between GE Vernova and MEIL. The company is currently delivering four 125 MW fixed-speed pumped-storage units for the Kundah hydropower plant in India.
Frederic Ribieras, Hydro Power CEO, GE Vernova, said, “We are honoured to be working on this second project with MEIL. Pumped-storage projects are critical to help build a more sustainable energy landscape in India and in the world, stabilising the grid and balancing variable renewable energies — at a very large scale, and for a long lifetime.”
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The project will leverage GE Vernova’s engineering and manufacturing footprint in India and “is expected to support local employment, skills development, and industrial capabilities during execution,” the company said.
GE Vernova added that pumped storage acts “as a giant battery,” helping stabilise the grid and enabling integration of renewable energy, and noted it has nearly 30 percent of the global installed base in pumped storage.