Telangana Power Generation Corporation (TGGENCO) has issued a tender for establishing a 250 MW/500 MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) pilot project in Telangana. Developers will be eligible to receive viability gap funding of Rs 2.7 million per MWh or 30 per cent of the project’s capital cost, whichever is lower. The deadline for bid submission is February 21, 2025, with bids scheduled to be opened on February 25. Applicants are required to pay a document fee of Rs 29,500 and a document processing fee of Rs 10,000/MW. Additionally, they must provide an earnest money deposit of Rs 432,000 per MW and a performance bank guarantee of Rs 1.08 million per MW. The minimum bid size has been set at 100 MWh, equivalent to 50 MW for two hours. Successful developers must commission the project within 18 months of signing the battery energy storage purchase agreement, which will remain valid for 12 years from the project's full commissioning date. Developers will be responsible for selecting the battery technology and connecting the system to the state transmission network. The project will rely on power supplied by the state distribution companies (DISCOMs) for charging and will dispatch power to the DISCOM network as instructed by the state load dispatch center. DISCOMs will ensure the required charging power is provided. The BESS must support two operational cycles per day with an annual system availability of at least 95 per cent. Developers are also required to maintain a monthly AC-to-AC roundtrip efficiency of 85 per cent. TGGENCO will facilitate the project by providing land on lease at no cost through a suitable agreement. Developers are required to use commercially established technologies to mitigate risks and ensure timely commissioning. To qualify, bidders must have a net worth of at least Rs 4.32 million per MW of the quoted capacity as of the last financial year or seven days prior to the bid submission deadline. In related developments, NHPC recently issued a tender for a 125 MW/500 MWh standalone BESS connected to Kerala's intrastate transmission system (Tranche I). Similarly, Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam invited bids to establish a 500 MW/1000 MWh standalone BESS under tariff-based competitive bidding (Phase VI). News source: Mercom India