EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Under its ESS-IV tender, SECI has invited developers to establish 800 MW / 3,200 MWh of standalone battery storage across India. Projects must provide four hours of charging and discharge per cycle, with individual bids starting at 50 MW / 200 MWh.
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Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) that facilitates renewable energy and energy storage development in India, has issued a Request for Selection under its ESS-IV program for the development of 800 MW / 3,200 MWh of standalone battery energy storage system projects in India. The tender is identified as SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0010/26-27.
The procurement requires battery projects configured for four hours of charging and four hours of discharging in one cycle. Under the tender structure, a project offering X MW of contracted capacity must provide 4X MWh of energy capacity.
Developers can submit a single bid with a minimum cumulative project capacity of 50 MW / 200 MWh. The maximum cumulative capacity that can be offered by a bidder, including its parent, affiliate, ultimate parent or group company, is 800 MW / 3,200 MWh. Project capacities must be quoted in integral values.
SECI has allowed developers to determine the locations of their projects. The BESS facilities can be developed anywhere in India, with the selected developer responsible for the location-related cost, risk and associated requirements. Developers can also change the project location or delivery point until the financial closure deadline, subject to the tender provisions.
The tender defines each project as the BESS developed by the selected developer to make contracted capacity and discharged energy available under the associated power purchase agreement. Developers may oversize their systems beyond the minimum rated energy capacity at their discretion. However, the rated power and energy capacity specified in the PPA will be verified during commissioning.
The procurement adds a large four-hour standalone storage tender to India's battery storage pipeline. The projects are structured to provide dispatchable stored electricity through dedicated BESS facilities rather than requiring co-location with solar or wind generation.