New Delhi: The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has cleared a proposal by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) to install Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at five locations across south and west Delhi, in a step expected to support the capital's shift towards cleaner power. In an order issued on Thursday, the commission granted in-principle approval for the discom to float competitive bids for a combined 97.5 MW/195 MWh of grid-scale storage, officials said on Friday.
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More than 2.66 lakh consumers in the two regions are expected to benefit from the deployment, which BRPL has projected will deliver annual gains of over Rs 88 crore. The systems are intended to strengthen grid reliability and deepen the integration of renewable energy into the city's supply, officials said.
The storage units will be sited at five grid stations: Dwarka (5 MW/10 MWh), Bindapur (15 MW/30 MWh), Hari Nagar (7.5 MW/15 MWh), Sagarpur (30 MW/60 MWh) and Pappankala (40 MW/80 MWh). Officials described the approval as a significant move to bolster Delhi's electricity infrastructure and accommodate the rising share of renewables in its power mix, adding that the facilities would shore up reliability, ease peak-demand stress and allow more efficient power procurement.
The plan marks a shift from BRPL's earlier single-site approach. The discom already operates a 20 MW/40 MWh BESS facility at Kilokari in south Delhi; the new proposal extends that model to a larger, multi-location rollout across five substations.
In its submission to the commission, BRPL said the chosen locations have recorded annual peak-demand growth of roughly 8 percent over the past three years, even as renewable energy penetration on the grid keeps rising. A BESS can function both as a load and as a source — drawing and storing electricity when it is available and feeding it back during periods of high demand — which the discom said improves grid flexibility, reliability and operational efficiency.
BRPL estimated that the project would yield benefits of about Rs 88.35 crore a year over a 12-year operational life. According to the discom, these would stem from energy arbitrage, participation in ancillary services markets, better reliability, deferred network and capital spending, and reduced dependence on costly peaking power.
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The company told the commission that the resulting savings, including those from peak-load management, energy arbitrage and ancillary services participation, would be passed on to consumers through lower power purchase costs.