The Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) India Limited has announced that the electricity department of Andaman and Nicobar administration has confirmed the commissioning of a 20 MW solar power project integrated with 8 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

This was one of the first tenders in the country that saw solar projects coupled with a battery energy storage system. The project has been developed at Dollygunj and Attampahad in south Andaman, and it was successfully commissioned on June 30, 2020, as per the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) filing.

NLC India had tendered the solar project with BESS to be developed on the island of Andaman & Nicobar in 2017. The capacity tendered comprised two projects of 10 MW each with 8 MWh BESS.

However, the auction for this tender was scrapped, and a fresh tender was issued in March 2018.

An official told Mercom that L&T had eventually won the contract to build this project. The scope of work included the design, engineering, manufacture, inspection, supply, insurance, transport, storage, installation, testing, and commissioning of the project.

According to Mercom India Solar Project Tracker, NLC India has nearly 1.37 GW of large-scale solar projects in operation.

NLC India emerged as one of the top utility-scale solar project developers in India in terms of installed capacity in the calendar year (CY) 2019. Together, the top three developers accounted for nearly 35% of total large-scale installations in 2019.

Apart from NLC, NTPC had also announced a tender for 25 MW of solar projects with battery energy storage systems to be developed on the island of Andaman & Nicobar.

Battery storage systems are emerging as a potential solution for integrating solar and wind renewables in power systems across the globe. The systems have the unique capability to absorb quickly, hold, and then reinject electricity. According to a recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), energy storage deployment in emerging markets is expected to increase by over 40% every year until 2025.