The Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company Limited (MPPMCL) has issued an expression of interest (EoI) inviting energy storage companies for setting up a 500 MW project in Madhya Pradesh.

Bidders are expected to have technical wherewithal to set up an energy storage project of up to 500 MW, having at least eight hours of discharge per day. Also, the storage project should be able to discharge continuously for three hours.

The scope of work further states that the participants are welcome to suggest storage technologies as per their experience, but priority would be given to the ones with a proven track record, and a cost-performance improvement with scale.

The tender also allows participants to install micro-grid projects with batteries for grid stabilization. MPPMCL feels that this would save the purchase of expensive power during night time (due to peak load) by feeding the grid with surplus power at night.

MPPCL has also encouraged suggestions from the participants on energy management solutions for the integration of battery-operated facility with the grid and forecasting solutions to better control energy assets. It would test different battery technologies from the participants.

The EoI states that eligible bidders must have prior experience in energy storage, either in India or abroad. Agencies with proven technical expertise can apply either as individuals or as joint venture entities.

The objective of the EoI is also to invite global players in grid-level energy storage sector and to develop Madhya Pradesh as a hub for manufacturing facilities of storage solutions.

MPPMCL intends to execute energy storage projects in Madhya Pradesh to make optimum use of energy resources. It has invited service providers, renewable energy generators, manufacturing firms, and utilities with experience and technical expertise in the field of grid-level energy storage.

The last date for the submission is yet to be announced. However, the notice mentions a tentative thirty-day period from the date of publication of the EoI (June 3, 2019).

To leverage the full potential of solar power, the Madhya Pradesh government had earlier announced a decentralized solar PV policy. The objective of the state government’s policy was to make renewable energy cover the entire state, keeping in mind that rural areas are either not connected to the grid, or the grid supply is unreliable.

Soumik is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, Soumik was a correspondent for UNI, New Delhi covering the Northeast region for seven years. He has also worked as an Asia Correspondent for Washington DC-based Hundred Reporters. He has contributed as a freelancer to several national and international digital publications with a focus on data-based investigative stories on environmental corruption, hydro power projects, energy transition and the circular economy. Soumik is an Economics graduate from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University.