NIRL To Supply On-Demand Storage To UHBVNL After Winning SJVN's Haryana BESS Tender in India

NLC India Renewables Limited (NIRL) has emerged as the winner of a standalone Battery Energy Storage System tender floated by SJVN in Haryana, securing the right to deliver 265 MW/530 MWh of two-hour storage capacity to Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (UHBVNL).

Procurement Overview and Contract Details

SJVN conducted the procurement in its capacity as a Renewable Energy Implementing Agency (REIA), and the capacity has been carved into two packages: 250 MW/500 MWh under Project-1 and 15 MW/30 MWh under Project-2.

Under the contract terms, the storage will be made available to UHBVNL on an on-demand basis, allowing the utility to draw on it for both peak and off-peak power needs.

The winning bid came in at USD 2,433 per MW per month. The tender was issued in July 2026 and awarded roughly a month later. Competing bidders included Rama Reflection India, SolarWorld Energy, Pace Digitek, Sun Drop Energia, and Oriana Power, but none of these challengers reached the final selection.

Grant Support Through The VGF Scheme

Financial backing for the project comes in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of up to USD 18,641 per MWh. This assistance is categorised as one-time, non-recurring expenditure and is channelled through the Power System Development Fund.

The smaller of the two packages, Project-2 with its 15 MW/30 MWh tranche, falls under the State Component of the VGF Scheme. Haryana has earmarked a cumulative 30 MWh of BESS capacity for this purpose.

Developers holding this 30 MWh capacity qualify for VGF of up to USD 18,641 per MWh, or 30 per cent of the capital cost, whichever is applicable.

As with the broader scheme, the grant takes the form of one-time expenditure and is funded through the Central Grant under the State Component of the VGF Scheme.

How The Price Compares With Prior Awards

The USD 2,433 per MW per month tariff discovered in this tender occupies a middle position relative to recent BESS procurement outcomes.

It exceeds the USD 2,040 per MW per month achieved in an earlier SJVN tender covering a 250 MW/500 MWh standalone BESS project at Panipat in Haryana, which was won by Hardi Hydro Energy. At the same time, the newly discovered price sits beneath the levels recorded in MSEDCL's BESS tender.

In that Maharashtra procurement, Oriana Power won projects at USD 2,464 and USD 2,485 per MW per month, while GK Energy secured a project at USD 2,464 per MW per month.

Competitive Interest In Standalone Storage

The award forms part of a broader run of competitive BESS tenders across Indian states, with Haryana's price discovery landing within a band bounded by the Panipat tender at the lower end and MSEDCL's Maharashtra tender at the upper end.

The field of participants in the July 2026 process, Rama Reflection India, SolarWorld Energy, Pace Digitek, Sun Drop Energia, and Oriana Power, competing alongside the eventual winner, NIRL, indicates the degree of developer interest in the standalone storage segment.

Following the award, NIRL is positioned to deliver the two-hour storage capacity to UHBVNL, with the utility able to call on the BESS as needed to manage its peak and off-peak power requirements.