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Entura set to bring Australian pumped hydro experience to major new energy storage project in India

16 June, 2025

Entura has been appointed to prepare the detailed project report for a 1,500 MW pumped hydro energy storage project in Odisha, one of the eastern states of India.

The pumped hydro scheme is proposed by ReNew, one of the largest developers of utility-scale wind and solar energy in the world, with a combined portfolio of 17.4 GW. The project is one of the biggest of its kind currently proposed in the Indo-Pacific region, and is expected to make a major contribution to supporting India’s renewable energy transition.

Developing the detailed project report involves a wide range of crucial investigations into the project’s technical and economic feasibility, including the topography, geology, subsurface conditions, construction materials, and opportunities for optimisation. The report will enable ReNew to make informed decisions about the future of the proposed project, which may lead to submission to authorities for approval.

“This is an exciting and significant opportunity for us,” said Dr Amanda Ashworth, Managing Director of Entura. “We have been building our team in India and our networks with Indian developers, asset owners, utilities and governments since 2006, so we are delighted to be able to strengthen our involvement in India’s energy transition by supporting this important energy storage project,” she said.

Entura specialists on a site visit in Odisha (L to R: Baijayanta Bhattacharjee, Vibhor Gupta, Pradipta Swain, Dipankar Dey)

As the consulting arm of Hydro Tasmania, Entura brings more than a century of hydropower experience in Tasmania, mainland Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The power and water consulting business is now engaged in a number of pumped hydro projects across Australia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, including having developed the feasibility study and currently serving as Owner’s Engineer for Australia’s first new pumped hydro project in many decades: the 250 MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project (K2-Hydro) in far north Queensland. Entura has also been instrumental to the development of Hydro Tasmania’s own proposal for a 750 MW pumped storage project at Lake Cethana in Tasmania, including developing a pumped hydro screening process to identify high-potential sites.

“Entura was an early mover in pumped hydro screening in Australia, and continues to be a leader in the sector,” said Amanda. “Our experience in Australia became a springboard for our Indian specialists to adapt our screening methodology to the Indian context.”

Rajeev Raina, Entura’s Director – India, explains: “Through our screening process, we can identify the most promising regions for pumped storage hydropower development and optimise site selection. This approach can help minimise the environmental impact of pumped storage projects while maximising their potential for energy storage and balancing the power grid.”

“Screening for potential pumped hydro sites is a complex process and has rarely been applied at scale in India. However, in a recent engagement, Entura identified 68 sites with potential for combined energy storage capacity of approximately 730 GWh across three Indian states. At one of the sites Entura identified, a proposed 2,000 MW pumped hydro storage system is now working through the early stages of development,” he said.

The Government of India has identified pumped hydro energy storage as a priority and has committed to another 35 GW of pumped storage by 2032 to integrate new renewable generation capacity and manage challenges in load management and grid stability. However, of India’s estimated pumped hydro capacity of around 181 GW, only about 5 GW, or 2.6%, has been developed so far.

“Entura is eager to contribute our deep hydropower asset-owner experience, significant specialist skills and recent experience in pumped hydro to support India’s pathway to a more sustainable energy future,” said Amanda.

“Despite our very different scale, India and Australia have many of the same challenges in accelerating and firming variable renewable energy, and we have much to learn from and offer each other in our common purpose of the global clean energy transition,” she said.

Entura’s India office, established in 2006, includes 25 engineering and design consultants skilled in renewable energy solutions, including conventional hydropower, pumped hydro, wind, solar and battery energy storage. These specialists now work seamlessly with colleagues in Australia on projects throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including in India, Nepal, Maldives, Laos, Singapore, Philippines and Australia.

Entura has deepened its connection with India through successful exchange programs, training workshops and capacity-building initiatives delivered in India through the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI). These have included dam safety training for India’s Central Water Commission as part of its Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), and the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity Framework – an initiative of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

“We believe that further cooperation and partnership between India and Australia will benefit both countries in our clean energy transformations, and we view the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership as a positive signal for ongoing mutual collaboration between the two nations on the challenges of the renewable energy transition and pursuit of net zero,” said Amanda.