Adani Green Tarali PSP cost clarification after report on wildlife levy cut

Adani Group has rejected allegations that Adani Green Energy Ltd reduced the declared cost of its 1,500-MW Tarali pumped storage project to cut statutory wildlife payments. It said the lower figure in an online forest and wildlife clearance proposal reflected only preliminary site investigations and surveys, while the State Board for Wildlife considered the full project cost.

Adani Group said a reported cut in the declared cost of the Tarali pumped storage project was misunderstood. The group stated that Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) did not lower the full project cost. Instead, the figure shown online related only to early site checks and surveys for forest and wildlife clearance.

The clarification followed a report by The Indian Express about AGEL’s 1,500-MW Tarali pumped storage project in Maharashtra. The report said a revised affidavit reduced the cost from Rs 5,675 crore to Rs 56.75 crore. It also said this cut lowered a wildlife payment to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

Tarali pumped storage project cost and the online proposal

In a statement, the group spokesperson said the online submission was made only for site investigation work. The group said the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) considered the total project cost at Rs 5,675 crore. The statement added that site checks typically cost about 1 per cent of a project.

Adani Group said it disclosed Rs 56.75 crore because it matched the expected expense for surveys. The group described this amount as the site investigations and survey costs for the online proposal. It said this explanation was given while responding to a media report about the figures.

Tarali pumped storage project and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve contribution

The Indian Express report said the lowered figure reduced a required contribution to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. It said the amount fell from Rs 227 crore to about Rs 2.27 crore. The report also said the Centre ordered a probe after the change was flagged.

The conglomerate rejected claims that the change aimed to cut conservation-linked costs. Adani Group said the project does not involve any protected forest or wildlife areas. It argued that the reported interpretation mixed up the full project cost with the survey-only estimate.

Tarali pumped storage project location near Koyna wildlife sanctuary

Adani Group said the Tarali PSP is entirely on private, non-forest land. It said the site is 3.2 kms away from the Koyna wildlife sanctuary. The group added that the project sits outside the notified buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

The group said the project does not affect, or lie along, the tiger corridor. It also said the project does not fall in any notified Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). Adani Group stated there is no diversion of protected areas, any reserve forest, or any notified Eco Sensitive zone.

With inputs from PTI