India is projected to cross 100 GW of hydro pumped storage projects capacity by 2035–36, according to the federal power ministry’s Roadmap to 100 GW of Hydro Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) by 2035–36.

One of the most affordable long-term storage alternatives in India is pumped storage, which uses excess electricity to push water uphill and generate power during peak demand hours.

As per Studies, the requirement of Storage Capacity on all-India basis is projected to increase to 62 GW by 2029-30; 161 GW by 2034-35 and 476 GW by 2046-47.

As per the report, it is projected that the non-fossil fuel based installed capacity is likely to increase to 500 GW by 2030, 701 GW by 2035 and 2187 GW by 2047 on the basis of Generation planning studies. Resource Adequacy Studies have been carried out by CEA for all the states till 2034-35 and it has been found that long term storage (6 Hrs.) would be required for integrating higher quantum of RE beyond 2030. 

According to the latest information available with the CEA, India has a very large potential for Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) both on river and off-river schemes. Presently, India’s pumped storage potential is about 267 GW, which includes 58 GW of on-stream PSPs and 209 GW of off-stream PSPs.

As of December 31, 2025, India has 10 pumped storage projects in operation with a total capacity of 7 GW. Another 10 projects, adding 12 GW, are under construction. Projects that have received approval of their detailed project reports from the Central Electricity Authority but are yet to begin account for 9.6 GW.

At the survey and investigation stage, there are 54 projects with a combined capacity of 75 GW. Most of these are closed-loop projects, which are meant only for storing electricity and do not depend on river flows. This shows that India has many suitable sites for large-scale electricity storage.

India’s estimated pumped storage potential has grown sharply in recent years. It rose from about 97.6 GW in December 2022 to 124.3 GW in 2023, 183.3 GW in 2024, and 266.8 GW by December 2025. This increase is mainly due to the identification of more closed-loop projects by developers. Since new sites keep getting identified, the total potential keeps changing, and the CEA updates these numbers regularly.