NHPC has launched a tender to establish a 500 MW/1,000 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) connected to the intrastate transmission network in Andhra Pradesh (Tranche II). 

Developers participating in the bid will be eligible for viability gap funding of Rs 2.7 million per MWh or 30% of the project's capital cost, whichever is lower. The deadline for bid submissions is March 17, 2025, with bid opening scheduled for March 20, 2025. 

Bidders are required to submit an earnest money deposit of Rs 341,000 per MWh. Successful bidders will need to provide a performance bank guarantee of Rs 852,500 per MWh and a payment security deposit of Rs 500,000 per MWh before commissioning the project's first part. 

The chosen developers must ensure the BESS operates for at least one full cycle per day, maintain a minimum monthly system availability of 95%, and guarantee an AC-to-AC roundtrip efficiency of 85%. 

The project must utilise commercially established technologies that comply with standards to minimise technological risks, and must be commissioned within 18 months of signing the purchase agreement. 

A processing fee based on cumulative capacity is required, with fees ranging from Rs 300,000 for up to 40 MWh to Rs 3 million for capacities exceeding 500 MWh, plus 18% GST. 

Bidders must demonstrate a minimum net worth of Rs 3.4 million per MWh of quoted capacity from the last financial year’s end or seven days before the bid submission deadline. 

This follows NHPC's earlier tender in January for a 125 MW/500 MWh standalone BESS in Kerala (Tranche I). In recent months, several major players, including Onix Renewable, Jindal India Renewable Energy, and Adani Green, have won bids to set up large-scale solar and energy storage projects under NHPC’s auctions. 

(Mercom)