Developer Zelestra has signed a Firm & Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) contract in India with public sector corporation SJVN.
Zelestra said yesterday (20 March) that the contract’s signing enables the construction of a 500MW wind-solar-battery storage hybrid power plant in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
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The project, in the south-western Marahashtran city of Solapur, will include around 250MWdc of solar PV generation, 180MW of wind and a 90MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The planned megawatt output of the BESS was not disclosed in Zelestra’s release.
The developer said work on the power plant would begin this year, for commercial operation to begin in 2027. Zelestra will develop, construct, own and operate the project.
Zelestra India chief executive Sajay K.V. described it as a “a transformational project that will combine solar, wind and battery storage to deliver clean energy at all points of the day in Maharashtra, including the critical peak hours when homes and businesses need reliable electricity the most.”
SJVN, or Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the administration of the Indian Union government Ministry of Power. The generation company has a background in hydroelectric power but has expanded into wind and solar PV as well as transmission projects.
The government holds a 55% stake, but SJVN is categorised as a Navratna enterprise, meaning it has some operational autonomy and can make investments up to IR1 billion (US$116 million) without central approvals.
SJVN has been hosting FDRE tenders, which will enable renewable sources to provide power to the grid during times even when solar and wind generation are not abundant, including early morning and evening peaks in demand. The corporation signs power purchase agreements (PPA) with successful bidders and then contracts with offtakers.
Other recent winners of SJVN’s FDRE tenders include Tata Power Renewable Energy’s 460MW combined wind-solar-storage hybrid, announced in May 2024. Chinese battery storage system and wind turbine manufacturer Envision Energy announced in January that it would provide a 320MWh BESS to tender winner Juniper Green Energy for a hybrid renewable energy project.
Energy-Storage.news has asked Zelestra for more details on the tender, including the awarded capacity and financial bid cost and will update this story in due course on receipt of responses.
Zelestra India chief executive Sajay K.V. said it was the company’s “first and largest multi-technology project win achieved in a single bid.”
Sajay K.V. also noted that the project is evidence of Zelestra’s strategy shift from developing “pure-play renewable projects to more complex and reliable green power solutions” to meet growing energy demand from industrial customers and data centres.
The developer recently announced the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) in Chile, Latin America, for a solar-plus-storage plant featuring 220MW of solar PV and a 1GWh battery storage system.
