New Delhi: A total of nine Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects with a cumulative installed capacity of 204.5 MW/505.6 MWh are currently operational in the country, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power Shripad Yesso Naik informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Each of these projects has a capacity of at least 1 MWh.
Naik’s statement comes amid growing focus on grid stability and renewable energy integration, especially as solar installations scale rapidly. As of June 30, India’s cumulative installed solar capacity stood at 116.25 GW, generating 144.15 billion units of electricity in 2024–25, according to the minister’s reply.
To support large-scale storage infrastructure, the government launched a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme in 2024, aimed at accelerating the development of battery energy storage. Under this scheme, a total BESS capacity of 13,220 MWh has already been allocated.
Naik also confirmed that the Ministry of Power has extended the scheme to include an additional 30,000 MWh of BESS capacity, which will be supported through the Power System Development Fund (PSDF). This brings the total BESS capacity allocated under government-backed schemes to 43,220 MWh.
With these developments, India is laying the groundwork for a more flexible and resilient power grid, aligned with its broader renewable energy and decarbonisation goals.
