IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2020 - 20

were taken to the next steps of development (i.e., survey
and investigation as well as detailed feasibility studies) by
government agencies. Feasibility studies on 37 projects,
with a total installed capacity of 18,523 MW, were initiated
through preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs). As
of March 2020, the status of these 37 projects is as follows:
✔ Constructed and under operation: 1 project with 96 MW
of total capacity
✔ Under construction: 7 projects with 1,753 MW of total
capacity
✔ DPRs concurred by the CEA but construction not
started: 17 projects with 8,862 MW of total capacity
✔ Under examination/not concurred: 12 projects with
7,848 MW of total capacity.
Clearly, the initiative did not lead to the desired result-
out of almost 48,000 MW identified as being potentially
feasible, only one project, with a 96-MW capacity, was completed in the past 17 years; another seven projects, with a
total capacity of 1,753 MW, will likely be on the grid in the
near future. Considering that preparation of a DPR, including undertaking detailed survey and geotechnical investigations, involves significant investment (on the order of a
few million U.S. dollars each), the 17 DPRs that have been
RES (MNRE),
prepared but subsequently shelved (at least for now) consti23%
tute significant sunk investment, which will likely haunt the
sector, at least from the view of private sector participation.
As noted in the "Challenges to Hydropower DevelopThermal,
Hydro,
ment
in India" section, part of this nonperformance can be
62%
12%
attributed to inconsistent and impractical policies at the state
level and their haphazard implementation. The authors have
been closely involved in the preparation of several of the
approved/concurred DPRs for projects, which were clearly
feasible. Barring a couple of projects, further implementaNuclear,
tion work on almost all of these projects was discontinued
2%
by the developers before the implementation phase. Many
other projects were started, but the construction work could
figure 1. The approximate percent power mix in India out
not be continued or remains inordinately delayed due to varof a total of more than 370 GW, 2020. RES: renewable energy source; MNRE: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. ious factors beyond the developers' control.
In recent years, however, policy
makers have acknowledged that the
availability of reliable, affordable,
14
and sustainable electricity is an essenTotal Installed Capacity
12
tial requirement for propelling the
Hydro
India growth story. It has been rec10
ognized that all potential sources of
8
energy will need to be tapped to meet
6
the envisioned demand and ensure
energy security. While renewables
4
will play an important role in bridg2
ing the gap and ensuring energy security, hydropower, with its abundant
0
potential, can substantially contribute
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Year
to meeting the energy needs of the
country as well as providing peaking
support and ancillary services.
figure 2. The annual growth of installed capacity by year.
Annual Growth (%)

Central Electricity Authority (CEA) website, no new hydro
projects came to fruition in 2019 (see Figure 2).
Figure 3 shows the evolution of different sources of power
in India in the last decade. The decline of hydro's role in the
country's energy mix is clearly evident.
It is not that the government has systematically ignored
hydro. Not long ago, hydroelectric power was recognized
as a sustainable, renewable alternative to fossil fuel-based
sources of power for the country. At the beginning of this
century, ambitious plans were drawn up for identifying
and developing new hydro projects, and the private sector
showed tremendous enthusiasm to make the best use of this
opportunity. In 2003, a goal of developing 50,000 MW of
hydro projects was introduced by the government. More than
160 projects, with a total capacity of 47,930 MW, were identified through prefeasibility studies. A number of these projects were allotted to private developers, and many others

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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - September/October 2020

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