New Delhi/Mumbai, November 14, 2026 — A sharp downward revision in the stated cost of Adani Green Energy Ltd’s (AGEL) 1,500 MW Tarali Pumped Storage Project (PSP) in Maharashtra’s Satara district has triggered an investigation by the Union Environment Ministry and the state forest department. The change reduced the company’s mandatory wildlife conservation contribution to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve from roughly ₹227 crore to about ₹2.27 crore.
The project is planned near the Tarali dam reservoir in Patan taluka, covering about 150.74 hectares of private, non-forest land across villages including Nivade, Tondoshi, Kalambe and Jalu. It is located in the vicinity of the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, which forms part of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
According to documents reviewed by The Indian Express, a Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) letter dated 11 February 2025, recommending prior environmental clearance, recorded the project cost as ₹5,675 crore. In February 2026, the State Board for Wildlife imposed conditions that included depositing 4% of the project cost for conservation measures in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) subsequently directed AGEL to deposit ₹227 crore.
On 8 September 2026, AGEL submitted a notarised affidavit to the Maharashtra forest department requesting that the project cost be treated as ₹56.75 crore, describing it as based on “analogous estimation.” The forest department accepted the revised figure on 12 October 2026. The company then deposited ₹56.75 lakh (1% of the revised cost) into the tiger reserve’s account, with the balance of about ₹1.71 crore to be paid after National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) clearance.
Honorary Wildlife Warden Rohan Bhate of Satara filed a complaint on 30 October 2026 through the Prime Minister’s grievance portal and Maharashtra’s Aaple Sarkar portal, alleging that the cost had been understated by a factor of 100. He stated that a project of this scale could not realistically be executed for ₹56.75 crore and sought immediate revocation of the decision, an impartial inquiry and action against those responsible.
On 6 November 2026, the MoEF&CC directed the Maharashtra forest department to investigate the matter on priority, noting that wildlife protection is primarily a state responsibility. The state department has initiated a probe.
AGEL and the Adani Group have rejected the allegations. In a statement, a spokesperson said the ₹56.75 crore figure in the online forest and wildlife portal related solely to preliminary site investigation and survey costs, which typically constitute about 1% of total project cost. The group stated that the State Board for Wildlife had considered the full project cost of ₹5,675 crore. It added that the Tarali PSP is situated entirely on private non-forest land, approximately 3.2 km from the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, outside the notified buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, and does not involve diversion of any protected area, reserve forest or notified eco-sensitive zone. The company has also maintained that the project would not adversely affect downstream ecology and could create positive local environmental effects through reservoir operations.
The Congress party has described the revision as a “scandal of gigantic proportions.” General Secretary Jairam Ramesh shared the Indian Express report and renewed the party’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani Group’s operations.
The project still requires further clearances, including from the National Board for Wildlife. The outcome of the ongoing investigation by the forest department and the Centre’s direction will determine the next steps regarding the cost figure and the associated conservation deposit.