Keralam to join hands with NTPC to set up 2,000-MW battery energy storage system at Kayamkulam

The Keralam government will establish a 2,000 megawatt hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district in collaboration with NTPC Ltd as part of addressing the electricity shortage faced by the State, according to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.

Keralam has also asked NTPC Ltd to develop a dedicated power plant for the State for long-term energy security.

For establishing the BESS, State-run Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will ink a memorandum of understanding with NTPC Ltd and NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL). Mr. Satheesan said on Wednesday the decision was taken at a meeting he held with senior officials of NTPC Ltd in New Delhi. Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph also was present.

The BESS facility is expected to come up on NTPC land where the currently unused Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant (RGCCPP) is situated.

It was also decided at the meeting to speed up work on a 27-MW solar power project implemented by NTPC at Kayamkulam.

Further, NTPC Ltd has agreed to supply 300 MW to Keralam from the NTPC project at Sinnar in Maharashtra, according to the Chief Minister. The supply will be at the rate of ₹5.18 per unit.

The Centre’s public sector unit has also agreed to supply power from its Ramagundam facility, according to Mr. Satheesan. NTPC has agreed to ink a power purchase agreement in this regard, he said.

Two BESS projects to be delayed

Meanwhile, the BESS projects being developed by the KSEB at Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram district and Sreekandapuram in Kannur district are likely to be delayed. According to Mr. Satheesan, these 80 MWh projects are expected to be commissioned only by March 2027.

Originally, the KSEB had informed the State Electricity Regulatory Commission that these two projects, in addition to BESS projects at Mylatti, Areacode and Mulleria, would be ready by October 2026. Later, the deadlines were shifted towards the end of 2026.