The Kakkayam pumped storage project (PSP), for which the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) entered into an agreement with Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd., could provide an installed capacity between 800 megawatts (MW) and 1,000 MW, making it one of the biggest PSPs currently under the active consideration of the KSEB.

Last week, the KSEB entrusted Tata Consulting Engineers with conducting the geo-technical studies and preparing the project blueprint and detailed project report. The project in Kozhikode district involves the reservoirs of the Kakkayam dam and the Peruvannamoozhi (Kuttiyadi) dam.

Interconnected reservoirs

PSPs have two interconnected reservoirs at different elevations. These projects make use of surplus grid power to pump water up from the lower to the upper reservoir when electricity demand is low. In times of higher demand, the stored water is released downstream to work the turbines in the power station to generate electricity. In the case of the Kakkayam PSP, Kakkayam dam will be the upper pool and the Kuttiyadi reservoir, the lower one.

Based on preliminary studies conducted by its Investigation Wing, the KSEB considers the location suitable for a PSP with an installed capacity between 800 MW and 1,000 MW with six-hour backup, a senior KSEB official told The Hindu on Sunday (June 28, 2026).

Tata Consulting Engineers is expected to submit its report within 15 months. The KSEB hopes to kick off work on the Kakkayam PSP by 2029 after securing the required approvals from the Central Electricity Authority and the forest and environment clearances.

One among four

The Kakkayam PSP is one of four PSPs currently under the active consideration of the power utility, the others being the 100 MW Mudirappuzha PSP in Idukki, the 700 MW Idukki PSP and the 100 MW Poringalkuthu PSP in Thrissur district.

While approving a KSEB capital investment plan in 2024, the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission had advised it to explore the possibility of designing upcoming hydel projects to operate in ‘hybrid mode’—operating in generation mode during the rainy season and as PSPs during the summer. “This approach, if feasible, can ensure year-round operation and support peak summer demand, thereby enhancing the viability of new hydro investments,” it said.