Indian state opens 2 GWh of battery storage bids with viability gap funding

Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (RRVUNL) has opened bids for standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) totaling 2,000 MWh (500 MW x four hours) in India, supported by viability gap funding to connect to the regional transmission grid.

From pv magazine India

Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (RRVUNL) has started accepting bids to build standalone BESS connected to India's State Transmission Utility (STU), with a combined capacity of 2,000 MWh (500 MW x four hours). The systems will operate on a single-cycle charging and discharging basis.

RRVUNL plans to deploy the BESS on an on-demand basis to meet the state’s needs during peak and off-peak hours.

The utility said it will sign battery energy storage purchase agreements (BESPA) with winning bidders to provide storage services. Developers will construct, own, and operate the systems on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis.

Projects awarded under this request for selection (RfS) will qualify for central financial support through viability gap funding (VGF) under the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) scheme, issued by the Indian Ministry of Power.