To bolster peak power availability in northern India, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has proposed a 1,500 MW pumped storage power project near the Bhakra Dam head in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district.
The planned project would exceed the generation capacity of the Bhakra Dam itself, which currently produces about 1,379 MW.
Sources told The Tribune that the BBMB has identified Dobar village in the Shivalik foothills for the ambitious project. Engineers have pinpointed a narrow gorge in the area where a 20 million cubic metre (MCM) reservoir can be constructed.
The project hinges on advanced reversible-turbine technology — turbines that can both pump water and generate electricity.
Under the proposed plan, water will be lifted from the existing Gobind Sagar Lake of Bhakra Dam to the newly carved Dobar reservoir during peak hours, to generate power. During peak demand hours, the same water would be released back into the Gobind Sagar Lake, generating electricity again.
This dual-purpose operation allows the system to produce power, making it an efficient solution for balancing energy supply during peak demand hours.
BBMB officials said the technology, though new to North India, is not entirely unfamiliar to the country. A similar pumped-storage model has been in operation at the Purulia Dam in West Bengal.
With the increasing dependence on solar energy across states, the northern grid is facing significant challenges in meeting morning and evening peak demand. The proposed 1,500 MW project is expected to bridge this gap effectively by operating roughly five hours each during morning and evening peak periods.
The full board of BBMB had approved the concept in 2024. Since then, the organisation has already completed the tendering process for selecting consultants to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Once the DPR is finalised, the project will require mandatory environmental clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
However, BBMB’s plan is caught in negotiations with the Himachal Pradesh government, which must grant final approval. Himachal currently receives 7.5 per cent free power from BBMB’s existing projects.
But in the case of hydro projects built by other central and private agencies such as NTPC and NHPC, the state secures 12 per cent free power. Sources indicated that Himachal may insist on a similar 12 per cent quota from BBMB’s new project since it falls within its territory.
Officials aware of the discussions said the matter is still under active negotiation, and a final agreement may take time. Until the power sharing structure is settled, formal approval is unlikely.
Despite these hurdles, the proposed project is being viewed as a strategic asset for the region’s power landscape. Notably, the pumped-storage mechanism would not interfere with the irrigation commitments of the Bhakra Dam, which supplies water to Punjab and Haryana.
Since the same water is cycled between two reservoirs without affecting downstream flows, the irrigation schedule remains intact.
If executed, the project will significantly enhance BBMB’s capacity to support grid stability and meet rising peak load demands, especially as renewable energy penetration grows.
While it may take a few years before construction begins, officials say the long-term gains in energy reliability, grid flexibility and regional power security make it one of the most critical hydro-electric proposals in recent years.
