Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) has invited bids to set up a 125 MW/500 MWh state transmission unit-connected standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) for the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company (CSPDCL).

The BESS project will receive viability gap funding support through the Power System Development Fund.

Bids must be submitted by January 30, 2026. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Apart from the battery, the BESS project will include a power conversion system, transformers, and complete 33 kV medium voltage bus work. It will have four hours of operation on an on-demand basis with provisions for occasional dual cycles per day for charging/discharging, capped at 420 cycles annually.

Selected bidders must provide comprehensive project facility maintenance for 15 years.

The BESS project must be completed within 15 months.

Bidders must comply with any of the following requirements as a prime contractor:

• They must have supplied, erected, tested, and commissioned grid-connected BESS systems with at least 10 MWh cumulative capacity
• They must have supplied, erected, tested, and commissioned at least one solar or wind project with a minimum capacity of 50 MW
• They must have erected, tested, and commissioned at least two AIS^ circuit breaker-equipped bays of a minimum 132 kV voltage level in one substation or switchyard

These projects must have been operational for the last seven years from the bid submission end date.

Alternatively, bidders must be battery manufacturers who have supplied at least 50 MWh of batteries for stationary grid applications during the previous three years from the bid submission end date.

Bidders must have a positive net worth during the preceding three financial years. They must have a minimum average annual turnover of ₹7.55 billion (~$82.44 million).

Bidders must demonstrate liquid assets and/or evidence of access to, or availability of credit facilities worth at least ₹1.26 billion (~$13.74 million).

Recently, POWERGRID issued tenders to set up 25 MW/100 MWh and 100 MW/400 MWh BESS projects across Tamil Nadu. These projects will receive viability gap funding support.