DVC Invites Bids For 250 MW/500MWh BESS Project In Jharkhand

Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has issued a tender for the development of a 250 MW / 500 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project at Maithon in Jharkhand. The selected battery energy storage system developer (BESSD) will be responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) activities, as well as the operation and maintenance of the BESS plant. Its accepting bids uptill May 21st, 2025.

Project Background

DVC has outlined plans to add 3.5 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity by FY2032. The latest tender aligns with the company’s commitment to meeting Energy Storage Obligations (ESO) as prescribed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). As part of these plans, DVC aims to install 500 MW / 1,000 MWh of BESS capacity—designed for 2-hour duration and two cycles per day—across various locations within its command areas in Jharkhand and West Bengal in a phased manner.

According to the tender, Phase I involves the installation of a 250 MW / 500 MWh BESS system at Maithon in Jharkhand. Power evacuation from the facility will be at the 132 kV level.

The BESS at Maithon is expected to be charged with a minimum of 85% renewable energy, primarily from floating solar and hydropower sources located at Maithon. The system is to be designed to deliver 250 MW of power for two hours daily—amounting to at least 500 MWh—during peak grid demand over a 12-year operation and maintenance period.

The tender specifies dispatchable capacity targets beginning at 500 MWh at the time of commissioning (COD). The minimum dispatchable throughput capacity is expected to degrade annually as follows:

• Year 1: 97.5%

  

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• Year 2: 95.0%

• Year 3: 92.5%

• Year 4: 90.0%

  

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• Year 5: 87.5%

• Year 6: 85.0%

• Year 7: 82.5%

• Year 8: 80.0%

• Year 9: 77.5%

• Year 10: 75.0%

• Year 11: 72.5%

• Year 12: 70.0%

The tender added, “The dispatchable capacity at the end of the project life must not fall below 70% of the beginning-of-life capacity at any point during the battery’s operational period.” It also mandated the use of lithium-ion or equivalent advanced technologies. “Lithium-ion type or any suitable/superior/latest LFP battery chemistry that is maintenance-free and suited to site-specific climatic conditions may be used,” the document states.