Reliance gets battery storage contract

Mumbai: Reliance Power Ltd has made a major foray into the country’s renewable energy and storage sector and has bagged a contract for 500 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The power generation company said in a statement on Monday that it has bagged the order from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), which conducted the e-reverse auction (ERA) as part of its efforts to enhance the country’s energy storage capacities.

This is one of the largest contracts of its kind in the country and is part of a wider tender for single units of BESS for 1,000 MW/2,000 MWh. These units will operate under the Build, Own and Operate (BOO) model and are designed for demand-based deployment, the release said.

Reliance Power had quoted a tariff of Rs 3.819 lakh per megawatt per month in the auction held on September 11. Other bidders in the auction included Avaada Energy, Acme Cleantech, Gensol and IndiGrid.

The move comes at a time when India is working vigorously to incorporate renewable energy into its grid and meet its goals of sustainability and reducing carbon emissions. The delivery point of the project will be the 400 kV Fatehgarh ATL power station in Rajasthan which will be commissioned within 24 months of the battery energy storage purchase agreement.