West Bengal Floats Tender for 500 MW/2 GWh Standalone Battery Storage Projects

The West Bengal Department of Power has invited bids for the development of 500 MW/2,000 MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) on behalf of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL), in a major push to strengthen the state’s power infrastructure and support renewable energy integration.

The projects will be developed under the build-own-operate model and connected to WBSEDCL’s network to enable charging and discharging based on grid requirements. The entire 2 GWh storage capacity will be installed across four substations of the West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company.

According to the tender document, developers will be required to set up projects with a minimum capacity of 100 MW/400 MWh each. The battery systems must be capable of completing one operational cycle per day with a minimum discharge duration of four hours. In addition, the projects must maintain at least 95 percent monthly availability.

The selected developers will have to commission the projects within 18 months from the date of signing the battery energy storage purchase agreement. The agreement will remain valid for 15 years from the date of commissioning.

The tender is technology agnostic, allowing bidders to use any commercially proven battery technology. WBSEDCL will provide land for the projects at a nominal annual lease rent of INR 1 per project.

Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of INR 300,000 per MW and furnish a performance bank guarantee of INR 750,000 per MWh.

To be eligible, bidders must have a minimum net worth of INR 10 million per MW of the quoted capacity and an annual turnover of at least INR 5 million per MWh during the previous financial year.

The last date for submission of bids is April 24, 2026, while the bids will be opened on May 7, 2026.