Big boost for Kerala’s grid, Tata Power inks its first standalone battery storage deal with NHPC Limited, advancing India’s clean energy and storage goals.
Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) has recently signed a battery energy storage purchase agreement (BESPA) with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited. The 30MW / 120MWh battery energy storage system will be set up at a 220kV substation in Kerala. The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will be the end user.
The agreement is part of NHPC’s BESS Tranche-I tender and was awarded through a competitive bidding process. Although, no financial information of this deal has been disclosed yet.
The battery system aims to support Kerala’s electricity grid by managing peak demand, improving system flexibility, and facilitating the use of renewable energy. The project will be commissioned within 15 months and will operate under a 12-year purchase agreement.
This initiative also forms part of a wider plan to develop 125MW / 500MWh of standalone battery storage in Kerala. According to Tata, it falls under the government of India’s broader renewable energy targets and is supported by a tariff-based competitive bidding framework with viability gap funding.
Meanwhile, TPREL is already operating a similar hybrid system in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh. That project features a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV plant) combined with a 120 MWh storage unit and was developed under an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).
The Kerala battery storage project is TPREL’s first standalone BESS venture, underlining its entry into a fast-evolving sector. With this win, the company’s total renewable capacity has reached around 10.9GW. This includes 5.6GW of operational projects: 4.6GW solar and 1GW wind, and another 5.3 GW under development.
