The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids to procure 50 MW/100 MWh of standalone energy storage capacity on a short-term basis, with the selected Energy Storage System Developer (ESSD) required to make the system available to SECI for charging and discharging on an “on-demand” basis.
SECI issued the Request for Selection (RfS) on August 28, 2026, under tender reference SECI/C&P/IPP/15/0008/26-27. The procurement covers a two-hour standalone energy storage system that will be interconnected with the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) network.
The selected developer will enter into an Energy Storage Purchase Agreement (ESPA) with SECI for the contracted storage capacity. The agreement will run from November 1, 2026, to October 31, 2027.
What SECI Is Procuring
The tender covers:
- Power capacity: 50 MW
- Energy capacity: 100 MWh
- Storage duration: 2 hours
- Type: Standalone Energy Storage System
- Grid connection: ISTS network
- Contract period: November 1, 2026 to October 31, 2027
- Utilisation: On-demand charging and discharging by SECI
- Technology: Technology-agnostic
The ESSD will be responsible for owning, operating and maintaining the storage system, including the equipment and personnel safety requirements associated with the facility.
The developer will also be responsible for setting up the required interconnection with the ISTS network and ensuring that the contracted storage capacity is available to SECI in accordance with the terms of the ESPA.
Only Operational ESS Projects Eligible
A key condition in the tender is that the storage project offered by the bidder must already be operational.
SECI’s RfS specifies that only ESS projects that have been commissioned and have declared their Commercial Operation Date (COD) by the bid-submission deadline will be eligible.
This means the tender is seeking access to an existing operational storage asset rather than providing a development period for a new BESS project.
The tender is also technology-agnostic, allowing developers to choose the storage technology, subject to compliance with SECI’s technical, performance and safety requirements.
SECI to Schedule Charging and Discharging
Under the proposed arrangement, SECI will schedule the charging and discharging of the ESS according to its requirements.
The system must be capable of completing at least one full charge-discharge cycle per day, while provision has been made for operation of up to two cycles per day.
The RfS specifies a maximum of 485 operational cycles during the ESPA term.
The ESSD must also maintain:
- Minimum system availability: 95%
- Minimum monthly AC-to-AC round-trip efficiency: 85%
- Capability to deliver the contracted 50 MW/100 MWh capacity in accordance with the tender requirements.
The RfS also provides for penalties, including provisions related to availability, efficiency and deviations associated with scheduled charging and discharging.
Bidders to Quote Capacity Charge
SECI will evaluate bids through a tariff-based competitive bidding process, followed by an electronic reverse auction for eligible bidders.
Bidders are required to quote a monthly capacity charge in:
₹/MW/month
The bid will cover the availability of the contracted ESS capacity to SECI during the agreement period.
The tender uses a two-envelope bidding structure covering the technical and financial submissions. The selected bidder will subsequently be required to provide the performance security specified under the RfS.
Financial Requirements
The tender specifies the following key payments and securities:
- Tender document fee: ₹50,000 plus applicable GST
- Bid processing fee: ₹10 lakh plus applicable GST
- Earnest Money Deposit (EMD): ₹2.40 crore
- Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG): ₹6 crore
The successful bidder will have to furnish the required PBG within the timeline prescribed by SECI following issuance of the Letter of Award.
Key Tender Dates
SECI has set the following schedule for the procurement process:
| Tender milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| RfS issued | August 28, 2026 |
| Pre-bid meeting | September 8, 2026, 2:30 PM |
| Online bid submission deadline | September 30, 2026, 6:00 PM |
| Offline bid submission deadline | October 5, 2026, 6:00 PM |
| Bid opening | October 6, 2026, 10:00 AM |
| ESPA period | November 1, 2026–October 31, 2027 |
SECI will communicate the schedule for the electronic reverse auction separately to bidders that qualify for the e-RA stage.
Operational and Safety Requirements
The ESSD will have overall responsibility for operation and maintenance of the storage facility during the contract period.
The RfS requires the project to comply with applicable Central Electricity Authority (CEA) regulations and safety requirements. The storage system must also have appropriate safety and fire-protection arrangements.
For battery-based systems, the tender includes requirements relating to battery safety, testing and thermal-runaway characteristics, along with testing and certification requirements for relevant equipment.
The developer will also remain responsible for meeting the performance parameters specified by SECI throughout the ESPA period.
The tender gives SECI access to 100 MWh of standalone storage capacity without prescribing a particular storage technology, while placing the operational responsibility on the ESSD.
More importantly, the procurement is structured around short-term access to an already-operational storage system, with SECI retaining control over when the contracted capacity is charged and discharged.
With the contract beginning in November 2026, the tender provides for relatively near-term utilisation of standalone storage capacity connected to the ISTS network.
| Capacity | 50 MW/100 MWh of standalone energy storage |
| Last Date | 30/09/2026 |
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