Powering Up: India's Coal Plants Get a Battery Boost for Solar Era

India is preparing to test battery energy storage systems (BESS) at coal-fired power plants in a bid to stabilise the grid as solar power generation continues to rise, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Power confirmed.

The initiative addresses an emerging challenge: thermal power plants must reduce output during peak solar hours but still be able to ramp up quickly to meet evening electricity demand. To support this transition, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is developing guidelines on minimum load requirements for coal plants in the context of increasing renewable energy penetration.

While India is targeting 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, it also plans to add 97 GW of new coal-based capacity by 2035 to ensure round-the-clock power availability.

As part of this strategy, NTPC has issued a tender for 1.7 GW of battery storage across 11 coal-fired plants. The pilot aims to optimise operational costs, extend the life of thermal assets, and enhance grid flexibility and reliability in an increasingly renewable-driven energy mix.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.