NVVN Issues 4-Hr BESS Tender for 500 MWh / 125 MW in Chhattisgarh

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) has recently issued a 500 MWh / 125 MW standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) tender offering four hours of on-demand power in Chhattisgarh. NVVN has issued the BESS tender in partnership with the Chhattisgarh State Power Transmission Company Limited (CSPTCL) and has sought bids for the project til December 30, 2025.

The BESS project will be located at the 220 kV Khedamara Substation in Durg. The tender offers a minimum bid size of 500 MWh (i.e., 125 MW × 4 hours), and approximately 10 acres of land will be allotted to the battery energy storage system developer (BESSD).

The latest tender follows an earlier 2-hour pilot BESS tender issued by the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL). In that tender, Chhattisgarh offered 760 MWh (380 MW × 2 hours) standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which would connect to the state grid. That tender would also offer a two-cycle charging and discharging operation for the BESS.

Scope of Work

Under the scope of the project, the Battery Energy Storage System Developer (BESSD) is expected to undertake the entire operation and maintenance of the BESS, including ensuring the safety of the equipment and personnel.

The tender requires the developer to charge the BESS by drawing power from CSPDCL and injecting power into the CSPDCL network in accordance with the dispatch instructions issued by the SLDC/Power Management Cell in consultation with CSPDCL. CSPDCL will provide the required power for charging the BESS.

The tender also set criteria for providing energy in a cycle. For instance, the tender said, the developer must make the BESS available for single operational cycles per day, i.e., one complete charge–discharge cycle per day. The tender further clarified that CSPDCL, at its discretion, can split the discharge of the stored energy into one or two sessions, but not more than two.

Additionally, the tender gives the flexibility to the buying entity to, at its sole discretion, schedule the discharging of the BESS in one or two sessions each day. The BESS can be provided at rated power or stretched up to eight hours when discharged below rated power.

Similarly, Buying Entity, at its discretion, can decide that the charging cycle, if required, be performed in a single session or in two sessions, at rated power, or stretched up to 10 hours when charged below rated power.