According to the report, ‘All India installed capacity (in MW) of power stations’ published on 31st March 2020, India’s installed utility-scale hydroelectric capacity was 46,000 MW. This accounted for 12.3% of its total utility power generation capacity.

In the future, it is estimated that India’s hydroelectric potential shall reach up to 148,701 MW. Furthermore, it is said that an additional 6,780 MW from smaller hydro schemes which have capacities of less than 25 MW can be deemed as exploitable.

Apart from this, a total of 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW have also been identified.

Bhagirathi, a turbulent Himalayan river and one of the headstreams of the Ganga, flows through the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its headwaters form at the foot of the Gangotri glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas at a place called Gaumukh perched at 12,700 feet. The river flows down with enormous force due to its high altitude. All that power, however, was draining unutilised into the Bay of Bengal until the Government of India decided to harness it for irrigation and power. The result was the Tehri dam and hydel project.