Government of Maharashtra's Rs.1,200 crore Ghatghar Hydroelectric project is scheduled for completion by 27 May 2006.  The equipment testing will be conducted in November 2006 and commercial operations is expected to begin by January 2007.

The project, which has three dams, has so far completed the upper and the saddle portion and about 95 per cent of the lower dam has been completed.

Out of the total project cost, Rs.400 crore has come in from Japanese Bank of India Co-operation (formerly known as the Overseas Economic Co-operation of Japan), another Rs.400 crore from the Power Finance Corporation, and the remaining from the Government of Maharashtra. Around Rs.1,000 crore has been utilised so far.

The Ghatghar Pumped Storage Scheme provides for installation of two reversible pump turbine/generator motor units, (each of 125 MW) in an underground powerhouse. The scheme has two reservoirs -  upper reservoir near village Ghatghar (Ahmednagar) and lower reservoir near village Chonde Budruk (Thane).

Physical details: The upper dam will be a gravity dam about 478m long and 15.5m high located on Pravara River. It will provide storage of 5.87 million cubic metres required for the operation of the pump storage scheme. The lower dam will also be a gravity dam about 390m long and 82m high at the deepest section located on Shai Nalla at the foot of the continental divide. It will provide gross storage of 3.80 million cubic metres.

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