Energetica India Magazine

FEATURE STORY Rajesh Kaushal, Head – Energy Infrastructure Business, Delta Elec- tronics India, states that when it comes to manufacturing, the ap- proach should be both honest and ambitious. “Battery cell manufac- turing is a long-term journey re- quiring advanced technology, raw Talking about phased localisation strategy, Arun Mittal, CEO, VSL PowerHive, a wholly-owned subsid- iary of Vikram Solar, informs, “In the first phase, targeted for March 2027, we are setting up a 7.5 GWh BESS assembly facility focused on integrated storage systems and containerisation for utilities, C&I As per a report published by the In- ternational Energy Agency (IEA), currently, more than 75 percent of the world’s lithium-ion battery cell production is done in China, and China also controls the processing of critical minerals. “Hence, com- plete supply chain independence from foreign countries will not be materials, scale and sustained investment. However, battery packs, BMS, PCS, EMS, containerisation and complete sys- tem integration are areas where India can build globally com- petitive capabilities over the next few years. At Delta, 5.5 MW high-power PCS are already being manufactured in India, while local engineering capabilities continue to expand across power electronics and intelligent energy management.” Selvaraj adds, “As India transitions towards grid-forming technologies, power conversion and controls engineered for weak-grid applications become a product advantage, not simply a compliance requirement or checkbox. ABB’s world- class power-conversion manufacturing facility in Bengaluru already builds that capability in India today.” Misra emphasises, “Over the next five years, the biggest op - portunity lies in Pack-to-Container localisation, covering battery pack assembly, container integration, BMS, PCS, HVAC, fire safety systems, EMS, and the complete Balance of System. Even within the pack, 90-99 percent of critical components – such as fuses, PCBs with harnesses, thermal in- sulation, pressure relief valves, and connectors – are still im- ported. Building a domestic ecosystem for these components achieved in the short run. However, efforts made in the Indi- an domestic mining and recycling space under the ACC PLI scheme will slowly ease this dependence,” emphasises Anand Kabra, Chairman and Managing Director, GEON. He further adds, “The BESS ecosystem of India needs to be created through progressive localisation and not through lo- calisation of each and every element at once. Currently, our objective is to produce battery packs, BMS, EMS and sys- tem integration in India. This will help us give customised solutions suitable for Indian conditions with high safety stan- dards.” customers, and large renewable projects. The second phase, planned for FY 2028, moves into lithium-ion cell manufactur- ing, a deeper step toward backward integration. Our goal is not just to manufacture batteries but to build an integrated energy storage ecosystem.” Surge in BESS Manufacturing There is a sudden rush among domestic manufacturers from the RE equipment segment – be it the module manufacturer, inverter or small-scale energy storage solutions providers – to foray into BESS. Waaree ESS has recently commissioned a 5.15 GWh BESS container manufacturing facility, and eyes to ramp up capacity to 20 GWh. Premier Energies has broken ground for a 6 GWh BESS plant in Telangana. energetica INDIA- Jul-Aug_2026 48 ed BESS solutions while steadily increasing domestic value addition,” she says. India already has cost advantages in battery assembly and software-driven BMS, and these segments rely more on do- mestic engineering, power electronics and system-integration capability than on mineral processing. “Cells will remain im- port-dependent in the near term: India had about 60 GWh of pack-manufacturing capacity but only about 1 GWh of cell manufacturing by end-2025. Cathode materials, anodes, elec- trolytes and critical-mineral refining will also remain largely imported because India is estimated to be 5-10 years away from a robust domestic cell ecosystem,” remarks Garg. should be the industry’s first priority. At AmpereHour Ener - gy, this is precisely where we are investing and expanding our manufacturing capabilities.”