Reliane NU Suntech Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Power Ltd, has received the letter of award from Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for building a solar-cum-BESS project.
In a release, Reliance Power said that its subsidiary Reliance NU Suntech Pvt Ltd will develop what could be the largest deployment of grid-storage batteries at a single site anywhere in Asia, excluding China.
The project to be developed under the BOOT (build, own, operate & transfer) model will involve a 930-MW solar power project along with a 465 MW/1860 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).
The competitive tariff with assured supply of peak power for four hours in a day will be a welcome relief for discoms that have had to consistently buy power from the power exchanges during peak hours at the cap of Rs.10 per unit, the release said.
Reliance NU Suntech won this project from SECI under tariff-based bidding with e-reverse auction held on December 9, 2024.
As per the terms of the tender, Reliance NU Suntech will also install a minimum storage capacity of 465 MW/1,860 MWh charged by solar power.
Reliance NU Suntech secured the largest individual allocation out of the five companies vying for a total quoted capacity of 2,000 MW of ISTS-connected connected solar power projects with 1,000 MW/4,000 MWh energy storage systems.
The project will guarantee a peak power supply of four hours daily (or a four-hour discharge duration). SECI will enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Reliance NU Suntech for a period of 25 years and the solar power procured will be sold to multiple discoms in India.
SECI Auction
According to information independently available, SECI, in August 2024, floated a tender (Tranche XVII) for building 2,000 MW of solar capacity along with 1,000 MW/4,000 MWh of BESS. The developer could set up the project anywhere in the country, albeit with hook-up to the ISTS network.
In the auction, Reliance NU Suntech won the highest individual capacity of 930 MW at a tariff of Rs.3.53 per kwh. Other winners included NTPC Renewable Energy (500 MW), Hero Solar Energy (270 MW), Sembcorp Green Infra (150 MW) and Solarcraft Power India (150 MW). All the other winners quoted a tariff of Rs.3.52 per kwh.
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