Energetica India Magazine

energetica INDIA- Jul-Aug_2026 47 FEATURE STORY Dhruv Garg, Energy Finance Ana- lyst, IEEFA, says, “Overall battery demand is projected to expand at a 36.5 percent CAGR to about 272 GWh by FY2030, creating adequate volume for a domestic manufactur- ing base, but the real concern is that Ayush Misra, Co-Founder and CEO, AmpereHour Energy, adds, “The C&I segment will be a major growth driver as businesses increasingly look for energy resilience, lower electricity costs, and greater control over their energy consumption. As Time-of-Day tariffs, open access, Priya Selvaraj, Vice President, Glob- al Business Development – Renew- able Power, ABB India, remarks, “The C&I segment will be equally important. Customers such as data centres, hospitals and metros com- pete on reliability, resilience and The debate is no longer about the need for BESS, but wheth- er India can manufacture it at scale while balancing rapid deployment with domestic manufacturing and reducing im- port dependence. A Market Ready for Take-Off India’s storage market has undergone a dramatic transfor- mation over the past two years. According to IESA, India is on track to cross 10 GWh of installed BESS capacity by De- cember 2026. While India has floated ESS tenders of about 47 GWh, IESA estimates the total ESS tender pipeline at 260 GWh. According to Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates, India would require as much as 74 GW/411 GWh of energy storage till 2031-32, of which almost 47 GW/236 GWh would be BESS. CEA projects 888 GWh of ESS requirement by 2035-36. this growing demand is being met largely through imported cells because India still lacks sufficient domestic manufactur - ing capacity, which heightens long-term import dependence.” While utility-scale procurement remains the primary demand driver, the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment is emerg- ing as the next growth frontier. As per an IESA projection, India’s C&I energy storage market will grow from less than 1 GWh in 2025 to 23-31 GWh by 2032. power quality, not just cost. Utility-scale projects provide manufacturing volume, but C&I set the benchmark for sys- tem performance.” and renewable integration become more prevalent, storage will become a strategic business asset rather than just a back- up solution. This demand provides the confidence required for long-term investments in domestic manufacturing.” Vatsal Kundalia, Managing Direc- tor, Advait Greenergy, highlights that manufacturing facilities, data centres and other energy-intensive industries are increasingly looking at storage not only for renewable in- tegration but also for improving en- ergy reliability and managing peak demand. “As this demand becomes more consistent, manufacturers will have the confidence to invest in capacity, automation and product development. A healthy manufacturing ecosystem ultimately needs predict- able demand, not just ambitious deployment targets,” he asserts. How Much Localisation Is Realistic? The discussion around domestic manufacturing often focuses on complete localisation. In practice, however, localisation can happen in stages. Dr. Nisha Gnanam, Senior Product specialist, Feston SEV states that India is well positioned to localise key segments of the BESS value chain over the next five years, par - ticularly battery pack manufactur- ing, Battery Management Systems (BMS), Power Conversion Systems (PCS), Energy Management Systems (EMS), and integrat- ed containerised solutions. “Lithium-ion cell manufacturing, however, will continue to require sustained investment, tech- nology partnerships, and secure access to critical raw materi- als before achieving meaningful self-reliance. At Feston, our focus is on expanding indigenous capabilities across integrat-