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WBSEDCL Issues Tender for 20 MW Solar Project Paired with 100 MWh Battery Storage

The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has invited bids for the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of a 20 MW solar power project integrated with a 100 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at Goaltore in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal. The project is being developed as Phase II of the Goaltore solar initiative.

In addition to project execution, the selected bidder will be responsible for operation and maintenance (O&M) for a period of 12 years. Bid submissions are open until March 23, 2026, with bid opening scheduled for the same day.

The proposed facility will be located west of Kolkata and will sit adjacent to the 125 MW solar power project commissioned under Phase I at the Goaltore site.

Under the tender conditions, the contractor must guarantee a minimum annual energy output from the solar plant, determined based on local meteorological data and the minimum assured performance of the battery storage system.

The project is being supported by KfW Development Bank, and the procurement process will follow international competitive bidding procedures in line with the latest KfW procurement guidelines applicable to consulting services, works, equipment, goods, and non-consulting services financed under development cooperation frameworks.

WBSEDCL has been actively advancing large-scale energy storage initiatives in the state. In October 2025, the utility invited bids for a 250 MW/1,000 MWh standalone BESS at the Goaltore substation, along with an additional 250 MW/1,000 MWh capacity under a greenshoe option.

Earlier, the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) had also floated a tender to develop a 40 MW/80 MWh standalone BESS in Kolkata under a build–own–operate–transfer (BOOT) model.

India’s battery storage market has continued to expand rapidly. As of June 2025, the country’s cumulative installed battery energy storage capacity stood at 490 MWh, with solar-plus-storage projects accounting for the majority of installations. During the same period, India had nearly 3.2 GWh of operational solar-plus-energy-storage capacity.

The development pipeline remains strong, with close to 74.8 GW of storage-linked capacity under various stages of tendering by mid-2025. Between July and November 2025, around 24 GWh of storage tenders were issued, while 25.6 GWh were auctioned, covering both standalone battery systems and integrated solar-plus-storage projects.