India To Float Bids For Lithium-Ion, Sodium-Ion Battery Storage Under PLI: Power Minister
India needs battery storage capacity to meet its 2030 and 2070 renewable energy and net zero targets.
The Indian government is planning to invite two separate bids for grid-scale Lithium-ion and Sodium-ion battery storage capacity under the Production-Linked Incentive scheme, the Union Power Minister RK Singh said today.
As India faces the challenge of doubling its power capacity to meet its 2030 and 2047 targets, there is a need to create storage capacity for round-the-clock power supply and to meet the net zero target by 2070.
Since China controls more than 85% of the supply chain and resources related to lithium, it is important to develop alternate sources of battery-storage technologies. "We are looking at various such sources, including Sodium-ion," said Singh, at the inauguration of Elecrama—the world's largest electrical and electronics event—in Noida.
India recently awarded the world's largest Lithium-ion battery storage project for 1,000 MWh.
"Although the tariffs are higher from the project, we will buy the power to boost adoption of battery storage and reduce tariffs in the long run. We will provide the viability gap funding to the producers," said Singh.
"India will develop around 400 GW of electricity capacity in the next seven years to 2030, which will increase by 800 GW by 2047, if we have to meet our 2070 net zero target," said Singh.
This is achievable if battery storage capacities are set up to integrate the day and night (solar and wind) power. States find it a challenge due to the inability of the grid to absorb power at odd hours. "If storage was there, the power could have been stored for later use," Singh said.
India will invest close to Rs 2.44 lakh crore in the transmission and distribution sector alone, while trying to reach the 2030 target for carbon emission and renewable energy.