The Adani Group has rejected allegations that its renewable energy arm, Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL), reduced the estimated cost of its 1,500-MW Tarali pumped storage project in Maharashtra to lower mandatory wildlife conservation contributions.
In a statement issued on November 13, the conglomerate clarified that the ₹56.75 crore figure mentioned in an online forest and wildlife clearance proposal represented only preliminary site investigations and survey expenses. It maintained that the total project cost considered by the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) was ₹5,675 crore.
The clarification follows a report by The Indian Express alleging that Adani Green Energy revised the declared project cost from ₹5,675 crore to ₹56.75 crore through an affidavit. The report stated that the revision reduced the proposed wildlife conservation contribution to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve from ₹227 crore to approximately ₹2.27 crore. The Centre has reportedly ordered a probe into the matter.
Adani Explains the ₹56.75 Crore Figure
According to the Adani Group, the online proposal was submitted exclusively for preliminary site investigation purposes.
The company said investigation and survey expenses account for around one per cent of the overall project cost. Therefore, ₹56.75 crore was mentioned to represent those specific activities and not the total investment in the pumped storage project.
The group denied that the revision was intended to reduce statutory or conservation-related obligations.
Company Says Project Is Outside Protected Areas
The conglomerate also argued that the Tarali pumped storage project does not involve any protected forest or wildlife area.
According to its statement, the project is located entirely on private, non-forest land, approximately 3.2 kilometres from the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The company further said the project falls outside the notified buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and does not affect or lie along any designated tiger corridor or notified Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
It maintained that the project does not require the diversion of protected areas, reserve forests or notified eco-sensitive zones.
Probe Follows Wildlife Conservation Concerns
The reported revision has raised questions about the calculation of mandatory wildlife conservation contributions linked to large infrastructure projects near ecologically sensitive regions.
The Adani Group has maintained that the figures were presented for different purposes and that the project’s overall cost remains ₹5,675 crore.
The issue now places the focus on the regulatory review of the project’s clearance documents and the applicable conservation obligations.
