UJVNL Issues 60 MW/150 MWh BESS Tender With 1-Hour Cooling Limit

Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) has issued a tender with a planned capacity of 60 MW/150 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to develop this project across three locations. It aims to develop this project on a Build, Own and Transfer (BOOT) basis through a single bid comprising three packages, with varying bid submission dates.

The tender includes the development of a 30 MW/75 MWh BESS project near Dhakrani HEP in Dehradun district, which will be connected to a 132/33 kV grid-connected substation at Dhakrani, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand.

The other BESS projects include the setting up of a 15 MW/37.5 MWh BESS near Tiloth HEP in Uttarkashi district, to be connected to a 220/33 kV grid-connected substation at Tiloth, Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand. February 25, 2026, is the last date for bids submbission for all the three tender. 

Additionally, the state has issued a tender for a 15 MW/37.5 MWh BESS near Khatima HEP in Udham Singh Nagar district, which will be connected to a 132/33 kV grid-connected substation at Khatima, Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand. 

The project is being supported under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme through the Power System Development Fund. To improve regional coverage, the project has been divided into three separate packages, each located near an existing hydroelectric facility.

Scope of Work

Under the scope of work, the bidder is required to develop a transmission network up to the Interconnection/Delivery Point at its own cost, in accordance with the tender. All approvals, permits, and clearances required for setting up the project and/or the dedicated transmission network up to the Delivery Point (along with connectivity), including those required from the state government and local bodies, shall fall within the scope of the project.

The bidder will also be responsible for charging the BESS using grid power during off-peak hours and delivering energy back to the grid during peak hours, in accordance with the schedule provided by UPCL or SLDC, for a period of 12 years, as per the terms and conditions of the RfP and BESPA.

UJVN will sell the power from the project to UJVNL, and the project will be connected to a 66/11 kV grid-connected substation at Pathri, Haridwar district, Uttarakhand, under the Uttarakhand Solar Energy Policy, 2023. Bids have been sought for this project until March 5, 2026.

The BESS will supply power to Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) / Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL), which will be required to pay connectivity charges of ₹2.0 lakh per MW. UPCL/UJVNL will provide a line bay for interconnection with the existing electrical system at the 66/11 kV Pathri substation.

The State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC), in consultation with UJVNL/UPCL, will, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, issue instructions to the BESS developer (BESSD) on behalf of UJVNL/UPCL for the dispatch of electricity to the grid during such periods and in such volumes as specified.

The BESSD shall clearly specify the maximum recovery times required to restore the BESS for functional availability between duty cycles. The maximum allowed cooling time between charge-to-discharge or discharge-to-charge shall be one hour. However, for one cycle, the recovery time shall not exceed two hours.