Advait, Equentia, Sundrops Win GUVNL’s 335 MW/670 MWh 2-Hour Cycle BESS Tender

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) has awarded its 335 MW/670 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) tender to three bidders, two months after issuing it.

The 2-hour cycle BESS tender under the VGF scheme was awarded at tariffs ranging from Rs 2.10 lakh/MW/month to Rs 2.12 lakh/MW/month. The winning companies are Advait Energy Transitions Limited, Equentia Natural Resources Pte Ltd, and KPI subsidiary Sundrops Energia. This marks an uptick in tariff levels compared with GUVNL’s previous BESS tender, which was awarded at Rs 1,85,390–1,87,994/MW/month.

Advait Energy Transitions Limited secured a 150 MW project at ₹2.10 lakh, while Equentia won a 65 MW project at ₹2.12 lakh. Sundrop secured the largest share, comprising a 325 MW project at ₹2.12 lakh.

Other bidders that did not make the final list include Rajesh Power Services and PNC Infratech.

Winners of GUVNL’s 335 MW/670 MWh 2-Hour Cycle BESS Tender With VGF 

The result also indicates a reversal of the declining BESS price trend observed in earlier Gujarat tenders. For instance, the previous tender awarded nine BESS projects at tariffs of Rs 1.85–1.89/unit. Among the larger allocations, KP Group’s Sundrops Energia received 445 MW at Rs 1,85,390/MWh/month, Ultimate Flexipack Limited was allocated 445 MW at Rs 1,89,000/MW/month, and Engie Energy secured 280 MW at Rs 1,89,000/MW/month.About the Tender

Under GUVNL's latest BESS tender, it would offer to set up a 335 MW/670 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Gujarat, with Viability Gap Funding supported through the Power System Development Fund (PSDF) scheme.

The BESS would be available for two operational cycles per day, i.e., two charge–discharge cycles daily. When fully charged, the project would be capable of discharging up to its rated capacity during any 15-minute time block, as per the schedule provided by the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC).

The tender offers a technology-agnostic battery storage system, provided it meets the definition of BESS under this tender and the required performance criteria. The BESS would be charged by drawing power from Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) and would inject power into the GETCO network in accordance with dispatch instructions issued by the SLDC, in consultation with GUVNL.

Previous Tender: A Brief Analysis

Previous tenders, such as the NVVN 250 MW/500 MWh BESS tender for Kerala, with 420 cycles annually for 15 years, also showed a similar trend, reporting a significantly lower tariff of ₹1.81 lakh/MW/month. In that tender, Shreyas Sortex Industries Private Limited emerged as the lowest bidder at ₹1,81,000 per MW per month, closely followed by OPG Power Generation Private Limited at ₹1,82,000.

Other winning bidders for this project included Oriana Power, which won the bid at Rs 2,16,000, followed by DB Power BESS Storage Limited, which secured a portion of the project at ₹2,21,000. Additionally, NTPC Green Energy won capacity at a tariff of ₹2,22,000, and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited emerged as the highest successful bidder at ₹2,24,600 per MW per month.