IHA members convene with India's Ministry of Power and four state governments

India is widely considered one of the most consequential hydropower markets in the world for the decade ahead — and IHA members are actively helping define the policy conditions that will determine whether that potential is realised. In 2025, IHA established its Indian Working Group and convened a series of high-level policy engagements across the country, including meetings with India's Ministry of Power in New Delhi and with state governments in Gujarat, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

The discussions covered four priority areas: national hydropower policy reform, permitting and licensing frameworks for pumped storage projects, the integration of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard into India's project approval processes, and India's potential leadership role within the Global Alliance for Pumped Storage (GAPS) — the 60-government intergovernmental alliance chaired by IHA President Malcolm Turnbull.

IHA member organisations including Adani Green Energy, AECOM, Andritz, EDF, Entura, Greenko, ReNew, SMEC, and Voith participated in the technical roundtables, providing detailed practical recommendations to policymakers on project development timelines, grid integration requirements, and the financing structures needed to mobilise private capital at scale. The breadth of companies — spanning developers, engineers, manufacturers, and operators — reflects IHA's ability to convene a genuinely comprehensive industry perspective.

India's grid will require an estimated 27 GW / 175 GWh of pumped storage capacity by 2031–32 to maintain stability as solar and wind penetration accelerates. The outcomes of IHA's 2025 engagements are being compiled into policy recommendations to be shared with the Indian government, with follow-up sessions planned through 2026 ahead of the 2027 World Hydropower Congress in Sydney.