The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has invited bids for the selection of developers to set up 4,000 MW/16,000 MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The projects will be developed under the build-own-operate model through tariff-based competitive bidding for on-demand energy supply. The tender has been divided into two packages: 2,500 MW/10,000 MWh in Rajasthan and 1,500 MW/6,000 MWh in Gujarat. The bidders can participate in either or both packages. The online bid submission deadline is December 14, 2026.
According to the tender guidelines, the selected developers will be responsible for setting up, operating and maintaining the BESS projects, including land identification, installation, ownership, grid connectivity, necessary approvals and interconnection with the applicable transmission network. The tender is technology-agnostic and involves a central financial assistance of Rs 1,500,000 per MWh of BESS, amounting to Rs 24 billion for the total 16 GWh capacity. Additionally, the developers must arrange charging power, with at least 51 per cent of the energy used for charging sourced from renewable energy.
The systems will provide stored energy to buying entities on demand, while the buying entities will schedule the discharge. SECI will enter into PPAs with the successful bidders for supplying energy from the storage facilities. Full project commissioning is scheduled within 12 months of the effective date of the PPA, while the initial PPA term is 20 years. The bidders are required to submit an earnest money deposit of Rs 718,400 per MW for each package, a document fee of Rs 50,000 plus GST and a bid processing fee of Rs 20,000 per MW of quoted capacity. Under the financial eligibility criteria, bidders must demonstrate a minimum net worth of Rs 7,184,000 per MW.