GUVNL Floats 1,000 MW Standalone BESS Tender in Gujarat

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) has invited bids for 1,000 MW/4,000 MWh of Standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Gujarat under Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (Phase-X).

The tender presents an opportunity for BESS developers, investors and technology partners, with technical and financial qualification criteria aimed at ensuring reliable and grid-ready storage.

Under the participation criteria, bidders are required to meet a net worth of ₹1 crore per MW of quoted capacity. The tender has a total capacity of 1,000 MW / 4,000 MWh, equivalent to a four-hour BESS configuration.

The projects are to be located in the vicinity of substations of the State Transmission Utility (STU) network in Gujarat, as specified in Annexure-E of the RfS. The bidder is responsible for identifying and arranging the land required for the project and interconnecting the BESS with the listed substations.

For grid interconnection, the RfS specifies that the voltage at the STU grid connection point will not be less than 66 kV. BESS developers are also responsible for applying for connectivity and bearing the associated costs.

The tender places strong emphasis on BESS performance, including Round-Trip Efficiency (RTE), system availability and compliance with specified technical and operational requirements throughout the project term. The RfS requires a minimum annual system availability of 95%.

The last date for online submission of bids is 14 September 2026 by 17:00 hours, while physical documents must be submitted by 17 September 2026 by 17:00 hours. The technical bids are scheduled to open on 18 September 2026 at 12:00 hours.

The large-scale BESS tender is positioned to support Gujarat’s expanding renewable energy ecosystem, where energy storage can contribute to renewable energy integration, peak demand management, grid flexibility, energy shifting and improved reliability of renewable power.

The 1,000 MW / 4,000 MWh procurement represents a significant step towards developing a more flexible energy storage system in Gujarat.