KSEB seeks approval for grid-scale battery storage systems at four more locations to manage surplus solar power

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has sought approval for grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) at four more of its substations to handle the large volume of surplus solar power being generated in the State.

The power utility has sought the State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s approval for implementing BESS systems with a combined capacity of 125 megawatt/500 megawatt hour (MW/MWh) at its substations at Sreekantapuram in Alappuzha district, Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram, Mulleria in Kasaragod and Areacode in Malappuram.

In a BESS system, the MW rating denotes the maximum amount of power that it can deliver at any given moment. MWh indicates the total amount of energy that the system can store.

The BESS projects at Sreekantapuram and Pothencode will each have a capacity of 40 megawatt/160 megawatt hour (MW/MWh), while the ones planned in Mulleria and Areacode will have a capacity of 15 MW/60 Mwh and 30 MW/120 MWh.

KSEB proposes to implement these projects through NHPC Ltd, which has been nominated as a BESS Implementing Agency (BIA) by the Union Power Ministry under the Viability Gap Funding scheme for the development of BESS systems.

The KSEB has also sought the commission’s approval for the monthly capacity charges quoted by four project developers shortlisted by NHPC. The tariff quoted by the developers would remain fixed for a period of 12 years, with a provision for extending the project life by another five years with appropriate adjustments in the applicable tariff.

The power utility had already announced plans to set up a BESS at the Mylatti substation in Kasaragod.

In seeking the commission’s approval for the four new proposals, the KSEB has cited a growing requirement for energy storage in the State, given the “increasing solar power penetration, rising peak power demand, the installed capacity within the State, and the prevailing price of peak power.”

BESS systems will increase the internal power handling capacity of the State and reduce the dependence on the inter-State power transmission corridor, according to KSEB.