SJVN has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Bihar to develop the 1000 MW Hathidah Durgawati Pumped Storage Project (PSP) and other PSPs in the state. The agreement was signed during a ceremony in Patna, attended by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Industries and Tourism Minister Nitish Mishra, and SJVN CMD Raj Kumar Chaudhary, along with senior officials.
The MoU was formalized by Mukesh Kumar Sharma, General Manager of SJVN, and Bandana Preyashi, Secretary of the Department of Industries, Government of Bihar. This collaboration is expected to bring ₹10,000 crore in investments to Bihar and create employment opportunities for around 5,000 individuals, both directly and indirectly.
Planned on the Durgawati River in Kaimur district, the Hathidah Durgawati PSP will have an installed capacity of 1000 MW, divided into four units of 250 MW each. The project is designed to generate 6.325 Million Units (MU) of daily peak energy and 2308.65 MU annually. The estimated project cost is ₹5,663 crore, with a levelized tariff of ₹9.39 per kWh, assuming a pumping energy rate of ₹3 per kWh, based on February 2024 price levels.
In August 2022, the Ministry of Power appointed SJVN as the nodal agency for developing Pumped Storage Projects in Bihar. The Bihar government subsequently allocated four PSPs to SJVN: Telharkund PSP (400 MW), Sinafdar PSP (345 MW), Panchgotia PSP (225 MW), and Hathidah Durgawati PSP (1600 MW). Feasibility studies identified Hathidah Durgawati as the most viable project, with a proposed capacity of 1000 MW.
