Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, recently visited Greenko’s $4.2 billion integrated renewable energy project at Pinnapuram in Andhra Pradesh. The project, which is expected to be the world’s largest GW-scale integrated renewable energy project upon completion, combines 4 GW of solar and 1 GW of wind power generation with 1.68 GW/10.08 GWh pumped hydro storage. It aims to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries like steel and aluminum. Developed with an investment of $1.2 billion for the pumped storage component and $3 billion for the solar and wind power infrastructure, the Pinnapuram project is advancing rapidly. During his visit, the minister took an aerial tour of the facility and observed various components of the mega project. He expressed that witnessing such an integrated renewable energy storage project was a matter of pride. He praised the initiative as a prime example of India’s green energy potential, which he attributed to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also commended the Government of Andhra Pradesh, led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, for its progressive policies that facilitated the project. Anil Chalamalasetty, Group CEO & MD of Greenko, highlighted that the project, once completed, would drive economic growth in the region, foster ancillary industries, and create employment opportunities. He also emphasized that the project would help avoid 3.3 million tonnes of CO? emissions annually. Greenko is developing multiple pumped hydro storage projects across India, aiming to establish a cloud storage platform with a capacity of over 100 GWh. Currently, Greenko operates nearly 12 GW of capacity across wind, solar, hydro, and pumped storage, with an additional 20 GW under construction across 15 states. By 2030, the company aims to expand its portfolio to 50 GW and is working on a digitally enabled cloud energy platform to integrate renewables as mainstream energy sources in the grid. News source: PV Magazine