Five policy actions to accelerate pumped storage development and strengthen India’s flexible, resilient and low-carbon power system.

The Delhi Declaration sets out five policy priorities for scaling pumped storage in India. Developed for policymakers, regulators, government agencies and energy-sector stakeholders, it focuses on strategic recognition, faster project development, revenue certainty, hydro-to-pumped-storage conversion, and a stronger domestic ecosystem. The recommendations aim to improve investment certainty, streamline approvals and enable pumped storage to support renewable integration, grid reliability and energy security.

Key findings

• India’s pumped storage potential is estimated at nearly 288 GW, positioning the technology as a potential pillar of a flexible, resilient and low-carbon power system.
• The Declaration calls for pumped storage projects to be recognised as strategically important energy infrastructure and critical grid assets.
• Long-term revenue stabilisation, comprehensive tariffs and stronger ancillary-service markets are proposed to improve investment certainty for pumped storage.
• The Declaration recommends assessing existing hydropower assets for conversion to pumped storage and developing a national inventory of viable sites.
• India’s projected scale of pumped storage deployment will require stronger domestic manufacturing, supply-chain capacity, procurement frameworks and project-development expertise.