In Short : Union Power Minister Manohar Lal emphasized that energy storage systems are crucial for achieving India’s clean energy goals. He highlighted the need for battery and pumped storage to stabilize renewable power supply. With targets like 500 GW of renewables by 2030, the government is backing storage through viability gap funding and transmission incentives to accelerate deployment and ensure grid reliability.
In Detail : New Delhi – Power minister Manohar Lal on Wednesday said establishing an energy storage system is essential to meet clean energy targets to stabilise the grid, optimise power generation and ensure round-the-clock electricity supply.
Over the last three-four years, the cost of energy storage has significantly dropped, Lal said at the India Energy Storage Week conference here on Wednesday.
“What was once ₹10 lakh/MW has now fallen to ₹2.5 lakh/MW per month, a reduction to one-fourth of the original cost,” he said.
As industries like steel and cement shift towards green hydrogen, India is pushing for energy independence to reduce oil dependency, he said.
According to Central Electricity Authority chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad, India has about 3,300 MW of energy storage capacity in the pipeline, which is expected to culminate in 8,500 MWh over the next two years.
Around 12,500 MW, equating to about 42,000 MWh of projects are under the tendering process, he said. However, the current battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity looks very meagre, standing at around 205 MW or about 506 MWh, Prasad said, adding that in FY27, “We will need to increase our capacities steadily to reach around 74 GW by 2031-32.”
