GE Vernova has secured an order from Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) to deliver nine 150 MW pumped storage units for the 1.35 GW Upper Sileru hydropower plant, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

The project is expected to be completed by 2030. At 1.35 GW, Upper Sileru will be among the largest pumped storage hydropower projects in India.

Once completed, MEIL’s Upper Sileru hydropower plant will be able to store and supply enough electricity equivalent to the annual needs of about 3 million Indian homes. The Upper Sileru pumped storage project is expected to play a critical role in supporting India’s energy transition by providing long-duration energy storage that helps balance growing solar and wind capacity on the national grid. With its ability to rapidly switch between pumping and generating modes, the facility will support grid reliability, peak demand management, and frequency regulation at scale.

MEIL commented: “The Upper Sileru pumped storage project is a landmark development for India’s energy transition. Partnering once again with GE Vernova allows us to leverage proven pumped storage technology to deliver reliable, large scale energy storage that will support grid stability and enable greater integration of renewable power across the country.”

GE Vernova’s scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, testing, supply, transportation, and supervision of erection, testing, and commissioning of the nine units, control, and governing systems. The nine vertical Francis reversible units are designed for high efficiency, operational flexibility, and a long service life, enabling reliable performance over several decades of operation.

This project marks the second pumped storage project GE Vernova and MEIL are working on together. GE Vernova is currently delivering four 125 MW fixed speed pumped storage units for the new Kundah hydropower plant in India.

The project will leverage GE Vernova’s engineering and manufacturing footprint in India and is expected to support local employment, skills development, and industrial capabilities during execution.

Frederic Ribieras, Hydro Power CEO, GE Vernova, added: “We are honoured to be working on this second project with MEIL. Pumped storage projects are critical to help build a more sustainable energy landscape in India and in the world, stabilising the grid and balancing variable renewable energies at a very large scale, and for a long lifetime.”

Pumped storage is a source of large scale energy storage. Acting as a giant battery, it helps stabilise the grid sustainably with the integration of wind and solar power. GE Vernova is one of the largest players in the global pumped storage space with nearly 30% of the global installed base and is currently developing more than 3 GW of pumped storage projects around the world. GE Vernova had also recently delivered the four 250 MW pumped storage variable speed systems at the Tehri pumped storage hydropower plant for THDC India Ltd’s, part of the Tehri hydropower complex.