Telangana has approved the expansion of the Gudemdoddi reservoir in Wanaparthy district, raising its planned storage capacity from 1.19 TMC to 15 TMC as part of an integrated solar-pumped storage power project.
The state government issued an order on Wednesday approving the expansion under the pumped storage project model, with solar power generation integrated into the proposed system. The decision covers technical investigations and the acquisition of additional land required for the project.
The government has sanctioned Rs 180 crore for comprehensive technical studies and land acquisition, according to Secretary to Government E Sridhar. Of this amount, Rs 165 crore has been approved for acquiring 1,100 acres of additional land.
The remaining Rs 15 crore will be used to engage a professional consultant to undertake investigations required for the project. These will include topographical, geological, geotechnical, hydrological and bathymetric studies.
The expansion would increase the reservoir’s planned storage capacity by more than twelve times, from 1.19 TMC to 15 TMC. The government’s approval links the enlarged reservoir with a pumped storage power project integrated with solar generation, although the order details cited in the report do not specify the project’s generation capacity, construction schedule or commissioning date.
Pumped storage projects use water movement between reservoirs or storage levels to support electricity generation and can be integrated with variable renewable sources such as solar power. For Gudemdoddi, the immediate approvals are focused on acquiring land and completing the technical investigations needed to assess the site and project design.
The land acquisition allocation covers 1,100 acres in addition to the existing project requirements. The studies will examine the site’s terrain, underlying geology, engineering conditions, water behaviour and reservoir characteristics before further implementation decisions are taken.
The order does not provide details on the number of affected landowners, rehabilitation arrangements, the proposed solar installation, financing beyond the sanctioned study and acquisition amount, or the timeline for construction. Those details would need to be established through subsequent government decisions and project documents.
The approved technical studies and land acquisition process are the next stated steps for the Gudemdoddi reservoir expansion and its associated solar-pumped storage project.
