The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEBL) has invited bids to select a consultant to conduct technical feasibility and commercial viability studies for setting up utility-scale battery energy storage systems in the state over the next 10 years.

The studies will assess the state’s battery energy storage requirements, optimal sizing and siting, and economic viability, and prepare an implementation roadmap.

The last date to submit bids is June 30, 2026. Bids will be opened the following day.

Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹50,000 (~$524) and performance security equivalent to 5% of the contract value.

They must furnish a bid submission fee of ₹5,000 (~$52).

The current tender invites bids from consultants shortlisted in an earlier expression of interest (EoI) issued by KSEBL in April last year. The shortlisted firms are DNV MES India, Tata Consulting Engineers, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India.

The scope of work includes demand and system flexibility gap assessment, preliminary grid studies, dynamic and stability grid studies, battery energy storage system capacity optimization and dispatch simulation, techno-economic analysis, financial viability assessment, and preparation of an implementation roadmap and consolidated report.

The project must be completed within 180 days.

Bidders must conduct studies for battery energy storage system integration at 33 kV, 66 kV, 110 kV, and 220 kV.

They must pay liquidated damages of up to 1% of the related service bill for each week of delay, and up to a maximum of 10% of the total contract value.

KSEBL said Kerala has high solar penetration as a percentage of installed capacity, and rooftop solar additions are occurring at an average rate of more than 30 MW/month, resulting in surpluses during solar hours and deficits during non-solar hours. KSEB relies on short-term market purchases to address intermittent surplus-and-deficit scenarios.

It added that the battery energy storage system can be a key enabler for peak demand management, renewable energy integration, grid stability and reliability, transmission/generation deferral, and reduced procurement costs.

Last year, the Energy Management Center invited EoIs to deploy behind-the-meter, intelligent battery energy storage systems in residential and commercial establishments in Kerala.

In the same year, KSEBL invited EoIs from charge point operators to set up public electric-vehicle charging stations under Category C of the PM E-DRIVE program.