The Sharavati river that takes birth at Ambutirtha in Tirthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district flows for about 130 km through some of the most scenic and ecologically diverse regions of Karnataka in the Western Ghats before reaching the Arabian Sea. It has also been a major source of electricity production in Karnataka. The river water keeps the power-generating stations — Sharavathy Generating Station (1,035 MW), Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric Station (139.2 MW), Linganamakki Dam Power House (55 MW), and Gerusoppa Dam Power House (240 MW) — active. For decades, these stations have been contributing millions of units of power to Karnataka at a relatively lower cost than thermal power units. Over the decades, projects along this river have often been a bone of contention between environmentalists and the governments in power.
Now, Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) has proposed exploiting the pumped storage power potential of the Sharavati valley. The project has been planned utilising the two existing reservoirs in the valley to generate another 2,000 MW.
However, with the project site falling within the pristine forests of the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot, the KPCL has attracted the wrath of environmentalists. Many people in both Shivamogga and the neighbouring Uttara Kannada district have raised serious concerns about the damage the project could cause to the rich flora and fauna and warned the KPCL of protests if it went ahead with the project. Representatives of gram panchayats have resolved to intensify their protests against the project.
On the other hand, KPCL officers say the project’s impact on the forest will be “minimal” and the agency will take care not to disturb animals, including lion-tailed macaque, a primate whose single largest population is found in the region. The project implementing agency says that as a major part of the construction will take place underground, the damage caused to the forest cover will be minimal.
A view of the Gerusoppa dam in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district. Under the pumped storage project, the Gerusoppa reservoir will be connected to the Talakalale balancing reservoir with a water conductor system to generate power.
| Photo Credit:
Sathish G.T.
Recently, the Karnataka State Board for Wildlife gave conditional approval for the project. It asked the KPCL to reduce the number of trees to be cut by 50%. The agency has to devise strategies to minimise the damage and get approval. However, the agency is yet to get clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF & CC) and the National Board for Wildlife.
Why this project
The demand for power has been growing. With the decision to supply power to irrigation pump sets during the daytime, the demand peaks around 11 a.m. At present, the peak demand is around17,500 MW and it is expected to increase gradually. According to the resource adequacy plan for Karnataka, the compound annual growth rate between 2023 and 2031 will be 3.93%. As per the demand projection of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL), by 2031-32, the State will require 1,20,778 million units, and the peak demand will touch 23,058 MW.
Considering the constant increase in demand, the Karnataka government has to strengthen its grid. Meanwhile, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which works under the Union Ministry of Energy, assessed the on-river pumped storage hydroelectric potential in India in 2023. Chairperson of the CEA, Ghanshyam Prasad, in his foreword to the study, says, “India is on the path toward clean energy transition, with an aim to produce 50% capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.” The CEA has planned to generate 500 GW of power from renewable sources by 2030. As per the potential study, two projects — Sharavati Pumped Storage Project (PSP) and Varahi PSP (1,500 MW) — were listed from Karnataka. All the 11 other similar projects listed by the State government are not feasible at present.
Linganamakki, the major reservoir in the Sharavati valley, was full in August 2024. The crest gates of the dam were opened to release water.
| Photo Credit:
Sathish G.T.
What the proposal says
The State government in its 2024-25 Budget proposed to increase its installed power generation capacity from 32,000 MW to 60,000 MW in the next seven years. Of the existing installed capacity, around 15,630 MW is from renewable energy. However, power generation through solar panels and windmills depends on weather conditions. The State cannot rely on these sources to handle the demand during peak hours. Hence the KPCL has proposed to take up the PSP in the Sharavati valley to manage the peak-hour demand. The KPCL board cleared the project in 2016 and the State government gave its approval in 2017.
The Sharavati valley has Linganamakki, Gerusoppa, and Talakalale dams. Linganamakki is the major reservoir with the capacity to store 151 tmcft of water. Talakalale reservoir acts as a balancing reservoir, where the water level is maintained to ensure the power generation in the Sharavathy Generating Station is not disrupted. Under the PSP, the plan is to connect Gerusoppa and Talakalale reservoirs with a water conductor system, with a 7-km-long tunnel. When there is excess power, water will be lifted from the lower reservoir — Gerusoppa — to the upper reservoir (Talakalale). When there is a high demand for power, water will be used to generate power and contribute to the grid. The KPCL has proposed to construct a power station with eight units, each of 250 MW capacity, with reversible Francis pump turbines.
Environmental impact
The project will be spread over Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts. The forest area required for the project falls under Sagar division, Shivamogga Wildlife Division, and Honnavar division. The total land required is 142.764 hectares, including 54.155 hectares of forest area.
Of the forest area, 34 patches are located within the Shivamogga Wildlife Division, 43 in the Honnavar division, and 24 patches are in the Sagar division. Besides that, 88.608 hectares of non-forestland is required for the project. The KPCL approached the MoEF & CC for forest clearance, as per the Forest Conservation Act, in November 2023. It sought the approval of the wildlife board in November 2023. The CEA cleared it in September 2024 and the State wildlife board gave conditional approval in January 2025.
KPCL officials have estimated the project cost at ₹8,644 crore. The cost per MW will be ₹5.12 crore. KPCL officials say a majority of the estimated funds will be spent on tunnel work, power station machinery, and turbines. They say the cost of producing hydroelectric energy is lower than other methods — thermal, solar or wind.
A pictorial presentation of the pumped storge project in the Sharavati valley.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Opposition
However, many environmentalists have opposed the project on the grounds that it affects the pristine forests. The project area is a core part of the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque (LTM) Wildlife Sanctuary. As per the LTM census of 2022-23, the sanctuary is a habitat for the single largest population of 730 individuals, spread over 41 groups. Tree-cutting for the project will fragment the habitat and damage the tree canopy, essential for the movement of LTM, they say. Apart from LTM, other animals found in the area are leopards, wild dogs, wild boars, sloth bears, Indian mongooses, and pangolins.
Among the trees identified for cutting, the highest is in the Honnavar division. Officers have recorded each species and girth of each tree to be cut. They include sagavani (Tectona grandis), aala (Ficus benghalensis), acacia (Acacia auriculiformis), andamurugalu (Carallia brachiata), challe (Aporosa lindleyana), aanekolu (Diospyros melanoxylon), arishina gurige (Garcinia morella), baine (caryota urens), garagatti (Ficus asperrima), kaadu amate (Spondias pinnata), maavu (Mangifera indica), and halasu (Artocarpus integrifolia).
Interestingly, the officials, in their proposal to the MoEF & CC seeking forest clearance, noted that the proposal may adversely affect the forest, flora, and fauna, particularly the endemic, rare, threatened, and endangered species. The formation of new roads and other above-ground structures will affect the canopy, leading to fragmentation of the LTM habitat. They also expressed worry that the change in habitat might lead to behavioural changes in the species. However, the divisional forest officers forwarded the proposal to higher officials with a recommendation to take decisions at a higher level.
The State wildlife board took objections to the number of trees being cut. The board, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, gave conditional approval, asking the KPCL to reduce the number of trees to be cut from 16,041 to between 7,000 and 8,000.
Even so, environmentalists have raised significant questions about the project. They are backed by experts, including Shankar Sharma who has worked in the power sector in India and abroad for decades. Sharma has written to the KPCL, the Ministers for Forest and Energy, and the Chief Minister many times, raising questions about the project’s necessity. One of his main objections is that the project will not add power to the State grid. Instead, it will increase the load on the grid. “The power required to pump water is more than what will be generated. There will be a loss of 24% of energy. The KPCL should think of alternative systems, including battery energy storage systems (BESS),” he says.
People like Sharma and Akhilesh Chippali from Sagar are opposed to cutting “even one tree” in the highly sensitive forests of the Western Ghats. Chippali says, “We are mobilising people in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts by spreading awareness on the impacts of the project. If necessary, we will move the court as well.”
Another complaint from environmentalists is that the KPCL is not maintaining transparency. Even after repeated appeals and applications through the Right to Information Act, the agency has not shared the detailed project report (DPR), they say. “Without going through the DPR, how can we challenge the project when they convene a public hearing?” asks Sharma.
Numbers not clear
The Divisional Forest Officers of Honnavar, Sagar, and Shivamogga Wildlife have counted the trees to be cut as per the project layout. KPCL officials entrusted with the responsibility of reducing the number of trees say they can “somehow manage” to reduce the count to 10,000 but not below that. “We have worked out the layout plan considering the place required to move machinery and vehicles for project execution. On the ground, we assessed that we could avoid cutting many trees on the edge of our route. Thus, we can bring down the number substantially,” says a senior official.
Besides that, the officials are contemplating changing the plan for a fresh road required to connect to the project site from the Gerusoppa dam. “Initially, we planned the road within the forest area. Now, we are planning to take it along the bank of the backwater of the Gerusoppa dam. We will know the exact number of trees that can be saved only during the execution of the work,” he says.
The existing transmission lines in the Sharavati valley need to be upgraded for the pumped storage project which is proposed to generate 2,000 MW.
| Photo Credit:
Sathish G.T.
The environmentalists argue that the officials are silent about the number of trees to be cut to draw or upgrade the existing transmission lines. The transmission lines have to be upgraded to draw power from the project. The KPCL has not assessed the number of trees to be cut for this purpose. “As the upgradation will be on the existing transmission lines, there will be minimum damage to the forest. However, the KPTCL, entrusted with the responsibility of transmission of power, will handle it. They will assess the number of trees separately,” an official says.
KPCL officials maintain that they will not refute the remarks that the project will damage the forest cover. However, they argue the damage caused will be “minimal”. By and large, the project layout has been designed keeping the existing roads in mind, they say. The existing 3.5-m-wide roads will be widened by another 2 m to allow the movement of men and machinery.
They too say there are alternative methods, including the BESS, to generate power. The battery storage, however, lasts only for a couple of hours and cannot be compared with the pumped storage project. Besides that, affordability is a major issue. Similarly, power can be generated by adopting advanced methods such as using hydrogen fuel cells, they say. The KPCL has been open to new technologies and is ready to adapt them considering financial viability. “However, pumped storage plants have been considered a time-tested and reliable method, which the Central Electricity Authority has been pushing for,” says the official.
Currently, work on designing the electro-mechanical system is on but work on the ground will begin only after all the mandatory clearances are received from the Centre.
(Edited by Giridhar Narayan)
Published – February 14, 2025 07:12 am IST
