Singareni Collieries, a State-run coal company, has announced its plan to set up a 500 MW pumped storage power plant at the now defunct Medipally opencast mine in the Ramgundam-1 area in the State with an outlay of ₹3,000 crore.
The company has asked to prepare a DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the plant. It will be the first pumped storage power plant in Telangana.
“After completing the preliminary studies, the company has issued a Letter of Award to the public sector undertaking WAPCOS Limited, assigning them the responsibility of preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR),” SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N Balaram has said.
He said that Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Energy Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu visited the Medipally opencast sump and the construction site, and has responded positively to the proposal to set up the power plant there.
The DPR will be prepared after a comprehensive study covering geological, geotechnical, and hydrology studies. They will also look into civil designs, production capacity aspects, mechanical and electrical designs, environmental-related issues, and safety measures.
The DPR would also factor in the time to complete the project, cost of production and opportunities for selling the electricity produced at the plant.
“A large water sump was formed at a depth of about 157 metres in the Medipally opencast mine, where a large volume of water is stored throughout the year. This water will be pumped during the daytime, using solar power, into another large water reservoir of a similar size to be built on the surface,” an SCCL statement said here on Saturday.
“The water filled during the day will be sent down through large pipes at night, and the electricity will be generated by turning the turbines installed in between with that hydro energy,” it said.
A 2.3-km-long and 23-metre deep reservoir will be constructed on the surface for water storage. This reservoir will store 9.64 million cubic meters of water, of which 8 million cubic meters will be used for pumping.