Coal India and Onward Solar Power have won Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) auction to set up six standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Odisha, with a cumulative capacity of 125 MW/500 MWh.

Coal India won Cluster I (two projects of 20 MW/80 MWh each), with a total capacity of 40 MW/160 MWh, at ₹304,000 (~$3,326.40)/MW/month.

It also won Cluster II (two projects of 20 MW/80 MWh each), with a total capacity of 40 MW/160 MWh, at ₹305,000 (~$3,375.35)/MW/month.

Onward Solar Power won the remaining 45 MW/180 MWh at a tariff of ₹375,000 (~$4,103.29).

The projects will be implemented under a build-own-operate model and located inside identified state transmission utility substations at Padampur, New Bolangir, Bhatli, Basta, Narendrapur, and Tentuli Khunti.

The tender was floated in December last year.

The viability gap funding eligible for each developer is capped at ₹1.8 million (~$19,695.81)/MWh of the awarded project capacity.

The scope of work includes the development, ownership, and operation of the standalone BESS projects, with an operations and maintenance period of up to 15 years from the scheduled commissioning date.

The full project must be commissioned within 18 months from the effective date of the battery energy storage purchase agreement.

Liquidated damages will apply for delays in commissioning, with encashment of the performance guarantee for delays of up to six months. The battery energy storage purchase agreement will be terminated for uncommissioned capacity if the delay exceeds six months.

The projects should be designed for interconnection with the state transmission utility network.

The successful developers must make the battery energy storage system available for at least one and at most two operational charge-discharge cycles per day, subject to a maximum of 420 operational cycles in a contract year. They must ensure a minimum annual system availability of 95%.

In December last year, Mahanadi Coalfields, a subsidiary of Coal India, invited expressions of interest to set up a 60 MWh battery energy storage system project in Odisha.

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