Reliance Power lines up 4 GW solar and 6.5 GWh battery storage pipeline

Reliance Power, part of the Anil Ambani led Reliance Group, has outlined an ambitious clean energy expansion anchored by a 4 GW solar and 6.5 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project pipeline under its new platform, Reliance Nu Energies. ​

Portfolio locked across key solar and BESS tenders

Over the last year, Reliance Nu Energies has “locked in” a diversified pipeline of solar and storage projects, including large allocations from SECI and SJVN as well as a strategic cross-border project in Bhutan. 

The anchor portfolio now comprises 4 GW of solar capacity, 6.5 GWh of grid-scale BESS and 770 MW of hydro-based capacity, all backed by 25-year power purchase arrangements with strong counterparties.​

The portfolio includes SECI solar-plus-storage tender with 930 MW of solar and 1,860 MWh BESS, SJVN-linked projects combining 1,100 MW of solar with 3,700 MWh BESS, and a 510 MW solar plus 770 MWh hydro project in partnership with Bhutan’s Druk Holding & Investments. Commercial operations for these projects are staggered between FY27 and FY31, providing long-term growth visibility.​ Of course, what that also means is that there is no immediate trigger on the horizon to convince investors that the firm will actually be able to deliver. An important issue considering the environment for funding as well as execution for the firm.   

Policy enablers such as ISTS waivers until 2030, mandatory energy storage for renewables, and green open access are creating a strong market for integrated solar-plus-BESS projects, the company notes.​

Reliance Nu Energies is targeting premiumised, dispatchable clean power contracts - including firm, round-the-clock and peak power - over plain-vanilla solar, to capture higher and more diversified returns through ancillary services, arbitrage and capacity payments. 

From pure renewables to an integrated energy platform

The new platform is designed to evolve beyond standalone projects into an integrated energy solutions business combining solar, wind, BESS, hydro and digital optimisation. Reliance Nu Energies plans to deliver RTC and peak power for utilities and C&I consumers using multi-technology hybrids, supported by AI-led energy management, trading and grid-optimisation tools.​

With so much on the table, it remains to be seen how Reliance Nu Energies executes, and key milestones like financual closure, procurement, vendor selection, corporate buyers  for these projects will be watched with great interest in the coming months to better understand promise versus delivery.