NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, is preparing to begin commercial operations of 500 MWh of battery energy storage capacity, its chief executive officer Somes Bandyopadhyay said on Thursday. The company is also targeting another 500 MWh of capacity by the end of the current financial year.
Bandyopadhyay disclosed the plans while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 18th India Coal Summit, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce. “Very soon we will be able to put 500 MWh BESS in commercial operation and target to commission a further 500 MWh by this financial year,” he said.
Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, store electricity generated by power plants. The stored electricity can then be supplied when demand rises, allowing the power system to manage differences between generation and consumption.
NVVN is involved in developing large-scale battery storage systems across India. The company’s planned capacity is intended to support utilities in managing peak electricity demand and integrating renewable energy into the power system, according to the report.
The announcement places NVVN’s near-term storage plans within a broader government-backed capacity programme. Bandyopadhyay said the government had provided the company with a scheme for 3,000 MWh. “So in that way, we are into battery energy storage through different modes,” he said.
The first 500 MWh of commercial capacity and the additional 500 MWh targeted during the financial year would together represent 1,000 MWh of planned capacity in the near term. The company did not provide details in the supplied statement on the locations of the systems, the projects’ technology configuration, their contracted utilities or the exact date on which commercial operations will begin.
For electricity utilities, storage can serve as an operational link between periods of lower demand or high renewable generation and periods when consumption is higher. This makes the timing and scale of commercial storage projects important for a power system that is expanding its use of renewable energy while continuing to meet peak demand.
NVVN’s announcement also indicates that battery storage is being developed through more than one implementation route under the government’s 3,000 MWh scheme. Further details on the projects, including their commissioning schedule and operating arrangements, are expected as the company moves the capacity into commercial operation.
The immediate milestones are the start of commercial operations for the first 500 MWh and NVVN’s target to commission an additional 500 MWh by the end of the current financial year.
