Pralhad Joshi inaugurates BESS in Bengaluru; ₹5,400 cr additional VGF coming soon
Renewable Energy
,
Pralhad Joshi
, on Friday inaugurated a
Battery Energy Storage Systems
(BESS) manufacturing facility in the Bidadi Industrial Area, Bengaluru. With an annual manufacturing capacity of 5 GWh, this facility stands as one of the largest and most advanced BESS plants in the nation.
The newly inaugurated facility has a fully automated cell-to-pack assembly line, signaling a move towards precision-driven, high-quality production with minimal human intervention.
This advanced manufacturing capability is expected to significantly contribute to grid stability, facilitate renewable energy integration, manage peak demand, and aid in frequency regulation.
During the inauguration, Minister Joshi emphasised the critical role of reliable energy storage in achieving India's ambitious target of 500 GW of
non-fossil fuel capacity
by 2030. "As more renewable energy comes into our grid, having reliable storage is more important than ever," he stated.
Further demonstrating the government's commitment to energy storage, Minister Joshi announced plans to roll out an additional ₹5,400 crore as viability gap funding (VGF) to support the establishment of 30 GWh of battery storage systems.
This new allocation comes on top of the existing ₹3,700 crore under the current VGF scheme, which has already facilitated the implementation of 13.2 GWh of BESS projects.
"As India rolls out the VGF scheme for battery storage and works with stakeholders across sectors to grow the storage market, having world-class manufacturing like this will be very important," the minister remarked. "It will help meet rising demand, reduce imports, and make our power grid more efficient. Our renewable capacity is growing fast: we are adding 25–30 GW every year."
Highlighting the immense potential of the sector, Minister Joshi cited the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), which projects the country's energy storage sector to attract a staggering ₹4.79 lakh crore investment by 2032.
Furthermore, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimates a project requirement of 411.4 GWh of energy storage systems by 2032, comprising 175.18 GWh from Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) and 236.22 GWh from BESS.
"I believe that India can become a global manufacturing hub for BESS, from batteries and inverters to software and control systems," Minister Joshi added. "Between 2022 and 2032, India plans to add over 47 GW of battery storage capacity, with a total investment of around ₹3.5 lakh crore."
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