NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) has issued a request for selection to develop a 500 MW/1,000 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Rajasthan under a build-own-operate model. 

Bids are due by March 31, 2025, and will be opened on April 1. Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of Rs 682,000 per MW, along with a tender document fee of Rs 22,500 and a processing fee of Rs 1.5 million. Successful bidders will need to provide a performance bank guarantee of Rs 1.7 million. 

The selected bidders will qualify for viability gap funding (VGF) for a cumulative BESS capacity of 2,000 MWh, awarded in multiple tranches. VGF support is capped at Rs 2.7 million per MWh or 30% of the project’s capital cost, whichever is lower. 

The project scope includes setting up the BESS, integrating it with the state transmission utility network, and constructing the substation bay. Developers must ensure the BESS is available to NVVN for charging and discharging on demand and obtain all necessary approvals and permits. 

Bidders must demonstrate a minimum net worth of $6.8 million per MW and an annual turnover of Rs 227,000 per MW of the quoted capacity. 

In a related development, NVVN recently sought bids for a 250 MW/1,000 MWh interstate transmission system-connected BESS and awarded Solarium Green Energy a contract to install 6,929 kW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects for central armed forces and government departments in Uttar Pradesh. 

(Mercom)