NTPC Green Energy Invites Bids for 250 MW/1,000 MWh BESS at Kayamkulam

NTPC Green Energy Ltd. (NGEL), a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd., has invited bids for the Balance of System (BOS) package for developing a 250 MW/1,000 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at its Kayamkulam facility in Kerala.

The tender, issued under domestic competitive bidding, covers the design, engineering, supply, transportation, installation, testing and commissioning of the grid-connected BESS on a turnkey basis. The project will have a four-hour storage duration and will be developed as a single block, integrated at the 220 kV level.

The scope of work excludes the supply of battery DC containers and grid-forming power conversion systems (PCS), which will be provided by NGEL as free-issue equipment. However, the successful bidder will be responsible for their inland transportation from the Indian port to the project site, including loading, unloading, customs clearance and associated coordination. The bidder will also engage a Custom House Agent for port-related clearance.

The project will require the development of a new 220 kV air-insulated switchyard (AIS), along with 220 kV/33 kV power transformers, pooling switchgear and the associated power evacuation system up to the 220 kV transmission line take-off gantry. The switchyard will have two 220 kV line bays to facilitate a loop-in-loop-out (LILO) arrangement with the existing Kundra transmission line. The actual LILO connection work at the plant boundary will be executed under a separate package.

NGEL has specified that the BESS capacity will be measured on the basis of rated AC discharge capacity at the point of injection or metering. Accordingly, the cumulative nameplate capacity of the battery and PCS supplied by the owner will be 15 percent higher than the specified AC discharge capacity.

The successful bidder will also be responsible for supplying and installing the energy management system (EMS), supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, protection and communication systems, power transformers, PCS transformers, auxiliary power systems, high-tension and low-tension electrical systems, monitoring and control equipment, and fire-fighting infrastructure.

The civil and infrastructure works will include site grading, vegetation clearance, construction of a control room and switchgear room, internal roads, pathways, drainage systems, security cabins, fencing and CCTV surveillance. The bidder will also undertake earthing, lightning protection, illumination, metering and other electrical and civil works required for grid integration.

Grid compliance studies, reactive power compensation and power quality compliance up to the 220 kV grid interconnection point will also form part of the contractor's responsibilities. The project must comply with the latest applicable guidelines of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and load despatch centres.

NGEL has specified a minimum design life of 15 years for the BESS plant from the successful completion of the trial run. The scope also includes comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) of the plant, including electrical equipment, consumables and spare parts, for five years from the commissioning of the full project capacity. However, comprehensive annual maintenance contracts for the battery and PCS, covering periodic and corrective maintenance, will be arranged separately by the owner.

The contractor will additionally be responsible for supplying mandatory spares, special tools and equipment, preparing start-up and site acceptance plans, providing design and performance documentation, and training operators, engineers, technicians and maintenance personnel.

NGEL has invited bids through a single-stage, two-envelope process, comprising techno-commercial and price bids, followed by an e-reverse auction.

The tender document sale will begin on November 16, 2026, and close on November 27, 2026. The deadline for bid submission is December 11, 2026, with bids scheduled to open on the same day.