NLCIL wins 500 MWh battery storage project from Tamil Nadu

NLC India Renewables Limited (NIRL), a wholly owned arm of NLC India Limited (NLCIL), has secured a 500 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project from Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL). This is NLCIL’s first large-scale BESS project.

The project includes three standalone BESS installations of 250 MW / 500 MWh capacity, to be located at Ottapidaram, Annpankulam, and Kayathar substations in Tamil Nadu. 

The contract was awarded through tariff-based competitive bidding under the State Component of the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme.  

The systems will support two full charge-discharge cycles daily and enable the state to better manage peak demand, improve grid reliability, and integrate renewable energy.

NLCIL previously commissioned an 8 MWh BESS at Andaman, integrated with a 20 MW solar plant, which helped reduce diesel use on the island.

CMD Prasanna Kumar Motupalli said the project marks NLCIL’s shift from lignite to clean energy leadership, reinforcing its target of 10 GW renewable capacity by 2030.

In May 2025, NIRL also signed a joint venture agreement with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Limited (MAHAPREIT) in Mumbai.