240-MW Tilari Pumped Storage Project Gets Key Environment Nod in Western Ghats

A 240-MW pumped storage project (PSP) in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district has moved a step closer to development after the Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) recommended Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Tilari Pumped Storage Project.

The project, to be operated by Shree Tatyasaheb Kore Warana Sahakari Navshakti Nirman Sanstha Limited, is estimated to cost ₹1,008 crore, according to reports on the Maharashtra government’s 2025 agreement with the cooperative. The project is being proposed as Maharashtra expands large-scale energy storage capacity to support renewable power. Pumped storage plants can store electricity by pumping water uphill and later releasing it through turbines when demand is high. This helps balance intermittent solar and wind generation and can improve grid stability and reliability.

However, the project’s location presents significant environmental considerations. It lies within the Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) and the Chandgad Conservation Reserve. Construction could involve land disturbance, vegetation clearance, excavation, roads and transmission infrastructure, potentially causing habitat fragmentation, noise and disturbance to wildlife. Changes to water flows and increased human activity could also affect aquatic and terrestrial species. The precise scale of these impacts, however, will need to be established through the project's environmental impact assessment.

Western Ghats ESA rules impose restrictions on activities considered environmentally damaging. Mining and quarrying, new thermal power projects and certain large construction and industrial activities are prohibited, while hydropower projects can be considered subject to environmental safeguards. The regulatory framework includes requirements such as ecological-flow assessment and cumulative studies of impacts on rivers, forests and biodiversity.

The Tilari project will use the existing Kodali Forebay Reservoir as the upper reservoir, while a new reservoir near Kodali village in Chandgad taluka will serve as the lower reservoir. It will cover more than 45 hectares. The EAC’s TOR recommendation is only an initial environmental approval step, not final environmental clearance. The forthcoming EIA will determine the project's detailed ecological and social impacts and the safeguards required before further approvals.