Torrent Power’s 3,000 MW Pumped Storage Project in Karjat — Green Energy Classification vs. Forest Corridor Impact

Torrent Power’s 3,000 MW Pumped Storage Project in Karjat — Green Energy Classification vs. Forest Corridor Impact

Torrent Power is developing a 3,000 MW pumped storage hydroelectric project near Karjat in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. The project requires diversion of approximately 233 hectares of forest land and has been classified by the Government of India as a “green energy” initiative under the Ministry of Power’s 2023 pumped storage guidelines. This classification has become the centre of a dispute over legal boundaries, ecological corridors, and the meaning of “green energy” when forest loss is involved.

The Project: What Is Pumped Storage and Why Is It “Green Energy”?

Pumped storage hydroelectricity uses two reservoirs at different elevations. During low electricity demand, surplus grid power pumps water from the lower to the upper reservoir. During peak demand, water is released back down through turbines to generate electricity. It functions as a grid-scale battery — critical for integrating variable renewable energy (solar, wind).

In March 2023, the Ministry of Power issued guidelines classifying pumped storage projects as renewable energy and making them eligible for green energy certificates, viability gap funding, and priority lending. The Torrent Power Karjat project is among the first large-scale projects proceeding under this framework.

Source: Ministry of Power, “Guidelines for Promotion of Pumped Storage Projects” (March 2023); Torrent Power investor presentations and stock exchange filings (2024-2026).

The Boundary Dispute: Where Exactly Is the Project?

The project’s location relative to the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) is the core of the controversy.

• Torrent Power statement (October 2026): The project site is 16 km outside the notified boundary of Bhimashankar WLS and its Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The company asserts no tree cutting occurs within the legally protected area.
• Environmentalists and forest rights groups: The project falls within a contiguous Western Ghats forest corridor that connects to Bhimashankar WLS. The legal boundary of a sanctuary and the ecological boundary of a wildlife corridor are not the same. Fragmentation of this corridor impacts wildlife movement, genetic exchange, and hydrology regardless of the legal line on the map.
• Maharashtra Forest Department records: The forest diversion proposal covers 233 hectares of reserved/protected forest land. The proposal has received Stage I clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, with conditions. Stage II clearance (final) is pending compliance with conditions including compensatory afforestation and wildlife mitigation plans.

Sources: Torrent Power press release (October 2026); Maharashtra Forest Department forest diversion proposal (Karjat pumped storage); MoEFCC Bhimashankar WLS notification (1985) and ESZ notification (2012); Wildlife Institute of India, “Western Ghats Landscape Connectivity” studies.

What’s at Stake: Shekru, Devrai, and the Western Ghats Corridor

Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) — “Shekru”

The Indian Giant Squirrel, locally known as Shekru, is the state animal of Maharashtra. It is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — the highest level of legal protection, equivalent to the tiger. The species is arboreal, requires contiguous canopy cover, and is an indicator of forest health. The project area and its surroundings host Shekru populations; canopy fragmentation from reservoir submergence and transmission lines poses a direct threat.

Sources: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule I); Maharashtra state symbols notification; WII/Forest Survey of India species distribution data.

Devrai — Sacred Groves

Devrai (or Devrahati) are community-protected sacred groves, a centuries-old tradition in the Western Ghats. They harbour relict biodiversity, rare plant species, and cultural heritage. Several Devrai patches are documented in the Karjat-Malshej region. The transcript references “purani devrai” (old sacred groves) being cut for “cement ke dheenge” (cement structures/dams). The exact overlap with the 233-hectare diversion area requires ground verification against revenue and forest department maps.

Sources: Anthropological Survey of India, “Sacred Groves of Maharashtra”; Maharashtra Biodiversity Board documentation; local gram sabha records.

Western Ghats Ecological Corridor

The project area lies in the Northern Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s eight “hottest hotspots” of biodiversity. The corridor connects Bhimashankar WLS to the Malshej Ghat region and further to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The Wildlife Institute of India has identified this stretch as a critical linkage for large mammals (leopard, sambar, gaur) and arboreal species (Shekru, langur).

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage nomination dossier (Western Ghats); WII “Corridor Mapping” reports; National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031).

The Green Energy Paradox

The project embodies a policy contradiction: pumped storage is classified as renewable energy to support India’s net-zero and 500 GW non-fossil targets, yet its construction entails permanent loss of 233 hectares of natural forest — a carbon sink, biodiversity reservoir, and hydrological regulator.

• Carbon accounting: The forest carbon stock lost is not typically offset in project-level carbon calculus for pumped storage.
• Biodiversity offset: Compensatory afforestation (CA) on degraded non-forest land does not replicate the ecological complexity of Western Ghats primary forest.
• Hydrological impact: Reservoir creation alters local stream flows, groundwater recharge, and downstream water availability for farmers.

Farmer and Community Concerns

The project involves two reservoirs (upper and lower). Land acquisition for submergence affects villages in Karjat and Khalapur talukas. Farmers and gram sabhas have raised concerns about:

• Inadequate consultation under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (community forest rights, free prior informed consent).
• Compensation rates not reflecting ecological and livelihood value of land.
• Misrepresentation of the project as “dam for irrigation” vs. “pumped storage for peak power” — different benefit streams.

Sources: Gram sabha resolutions (Karjat/Khalapur talukas, 2024-2026); Revenue Department land acquisition notices; PIL petitions in Bombay High Court and NGT Western Zone.

Legal Status (as of October 2026)

Wider Context: Pumped Storage Pipeline

The Ministry of Power has identified a potential of 103 GW of pumped storage across India. Projects are proposed in Karnataka (Sharavathi, Saundatti), Uttarakhand (Tehri expansion), Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh. Many face similar forest land and ecological corridor conflicts. The Karjat project is a precedent for how “green energy” classification interacts with Forest Conservation Act and Wildlife Protection Act in the Western Ghats.

Sources: Ministry of Power, “Pumped Storage Potential in India” (2023); CEA hydro project monitoring reports; state-level forest diversion proposals.

Verification Notes Summary

All assessments are based on primary sources: company statements, government notifications, forest diversion records, wildlife legislation, court filings, and ecological studies. The central dispute — legal boundary vs. ecological corridor — reflects a systemic tension in India’s energy transition between renewable capacity targets and forest/biodiversity commitments.