SECI commissions India's largest BESS project in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh

India has successfully commissioned the country's largest energy storage project, a 40 MW / 120 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) connected to a 152 MWh solar photovoltaic plant at Rajnandgaon in the central state of Chhattisgarh.

The commissioning was done by Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), which functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Tata Power served as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, which was part funded by the World Bank.

The BESS will store and supply power to the state of Chhattisgarh, helping it meet peak energy demand through carbon-neutral solutions while also meeting its obligations for purchase of renewable power.

In a release, the Central government noted that the project has deployed bifacial modules, "which reflect the light from the ground, thus generating more electricity than monofacial modules," which only generate electricity from the direct sunlight falling on them.

Another unique aspect of this project is its use of previously unused land. "Through a tripartite land-use permission agreement among the Energy Department of the Government of Chhattisgarh, Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Co Ltd (CSPDCL), and SECI, 451 acres of waste land across 9 villages in Tehsil Dongargarh and Dongargaon, District Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, have been repurposed," the release said.

The project uses a 132 kV double-circuit double-string transmission line to Chhattisgarh State Power Transmission Co Ltd's 220/132 kV Thelkadih substation, facilitating seamless integration into the power grid.