Overview

• SCCL has issued a letter of award to WAPCOS Limited to prepare the Detailed Project Report for the 500 MW pumped storage scheme at the closed Medipally opencast mine.
• The design calls for a 157-metre-deep mine sump as the lower reservoir and a new 2,350-metre-long surface reservoir with 9.64 million cubic metres capacity upstream.
• Solar energy will drive daytime pumping of water into the upper reservoir, which will then flow through turbines at night to generate electricity.
• The project is projected to cost around ₹3,000 crore and offer a 40-year operational lifespan with round-the-clock power output.
• Backed by the Telangana government’s 51% stake in SCCL, the initiative marks a key step in the company’s diversification into renewable energy.