India Overtakes Japan To Become Fifth-Largest Hydropower Capacity In The World

New Delhi, May 30: In a major development, India overtook Japan after becoming the fifth largest hydropower production in the world. India's total installed capacity now stands at over 50 GW, which is just behind Canada, the US, Brazil, and China.

 

 

 

According to the International Hydropower Association, the data put out in the report, global hydropower installed capacity reached 1,308 GW in 2019, as 50 countries completed greenfield and upgrade projects, including pumped storage.

 

The 2020 Hydropower Status Report presents the latest worldwide installed capacity and generation data, showcasing the sector’s contribution to global carbon reduction efforts. It is published alongside a Covid-19 policy paper featuring recommendations for governments, financial institutions, and industry to respond to the current health and economic crisis.

 

Hydropower’s flexibility services have been in high demand during the ongoing crisis, while plant operations have been less affected due to the degree of automation in modern facilities. Hydropower developments have not been immune to economic impacts however, with the industry facing widespread uncertainty and liquidity shortages which have put financing and refinancing of some projects at risk.

 

The Teesta-V hydropower station, located in Sikkim, in northern India, was rated as an example of international good practice in hydropower sustainability in 2019. The 510 MW power station, owned and operated by NHPC Limited, was reviewed by a team of accredited assessors using the HSAP. The assessment, the first of its kind in India, was conducted between January and June and involved two visits to the project area as well as numerous stakeholder interviews.

 

According to the assessment, Teesta-V met or exceeded international good practice across all 20 performance criteria. The station is part of a cascade of hydropower projects along the Teesta River. Commissioned in 2008 as the first large-scale power station in Sikkim, it was built to supply power to Sikkim’s Energy and Power Department, and other state-owned distribution companies in India’s eastern region.

 

 

The country has around 13,000 MW of hydropower plants under various stages of construction and another 8,000 MW projects are in the pipeline which will commence construction in the next six to eight months. The current installed capacity of hydropower in the country stands at around 45,700 MW. India has an estimated hydropower potential of 145,000 MW at a 60 percent plant load factor.