Hydro power ensures grid stability with flexible generation capabilities

Power projects are now considered renewable energy projects since they do not generate GHG emissions during operation.

- Shirish Garud Director and Senior Fellow TERI

Hydro power has been the backbone of India's power generation since the early 1900s. The first hydroelectric power plant was established in 1897 and is still operational. Today, India's installed capacity of large (>25MW capacity) hydro power plants is 50 GW.

Major segments of hydro power

Hydro power in India is categorised into major segments. Large hydro power projects that have a capacity above 25 MW. These are typically hydro power projects with dams to store water and are generally multipurpose plants designed with irrigation, flood control, and power generation capabilities.

Small hydro power projects have a capacity of less than 25 MW. These projects are characterised by their design, which is often named as run of the river, which means the river flow is partially or completely diverted through hydro power plants, and after power generation, the water flow is routed to the original river flow.