Expert panel against approving ₹10,000 crore Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project citing irreversible ecological harm

In a major setback to the Karnataka government, an expert committee, appointed by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has not only recommended against approving the proposed ₹10,000 crore Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts but also questioned the very rationale of the project proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL).

“...the proposed project activities are likely to result in habitat fragmentation, disturbance to wildlife, cumulative stress on forest and riverine ecosystems, and long-term degradation of ecological integrity in an area already under pressure from existing infrastructure. The present proposal lacks compelling technical merit, environmental sustainability, or alignment with public interest. Accordingly, in adherence to statutory conservation mandates, the committee does not recommend its approval,” it has been stated in the report of the site-appraisal committee.

The report was submitted before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemalekha during the hearing of a PIL petition filed by Akhilesh Chipli of Shivamogga and two others from Shivamogga.

The petitioners have challenged the project, situated within the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary and its Eco-Sensitive Zone, while contending that such a project is barred in a sanctuary area under Section 29 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The committee, comprising NBWL members H.S. Singh, Raman Sukumar and Shivakumar C.M, Inspector General, National Tiger Conservation Authority, had submitted its report to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change after inspecting the project area between December 27 and 30, 2025, and submitting its report to the NBWL’s Standing Committee.

The panel highlighted that the project area supports the “largest known contiguous population” of the endangered lion-tailed macaque and functions as a critical tiger corridor connecting the Anshi-Dandeli and Bhadra-Kudremukh landscapes.

Loss of electricity

Interestingly, the panel found that the project “primarily involves temporal shifting of electricity generation rather than contributing to any net increase in power generation” while pointing out that the project merely shifts power availability to night-time hours without creating any additional energy.

The project “generates 2,000 MW of electricity in the night by consuming over 2,500 MW of electricity in the day time. There is no additional generation of electricity but a loss of over 500 MW due to the project as has been proposed”, it has been stated in the report.

Disjointed and concealed

“The proposed project is disjointed and incomplete, as several major impact-inducing components have either not been mentioned or have been underplayed in the project document. Additionally, some of the proposed components are likely to undergo significant revision prior to implementation, which further underscores the inadequacy of the current proposal for comprehensive assessment,” the panel observed.

“The statement in the original project proposal that the existing power transmission lines will be used for evacuation of power is incorrect and appears to be an attempt to conceal facts,” the report stated. It pointed out that the existing 220 kV transmission lines between Gerusoppa and Talaguppa are incapable of carrying the required pumping load of 2000 MW, and the officers of the KPCL, during the panel’s inspection, informed that the existing transmission lines would be dismantled and replaced with a new power-evacuation transmission line.

When assessed holistically, “the limited operational benefit offered by the project seems outweighed by the irreversible ecological, environmental, and social costs involved”, the report stated.