India's state-owned NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC REL) has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to battery storage firm Delectrik Systems for a 100MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) energy storage system.
The project will be developed by technology provider Delectrik Systems in partnership with Bondada Engineering at Gujarat's Khavda Solar Park, marking the country's first utility-scale deployment of the long-duration storage technology. The battery energy storage system (Bess) is scheduled to be commissioned in the second half of 2027, Delectrik told Argus on 21 July.
The electrolyte will be manufactured at Delectrik's Gujarat facility, while the cell stacks will be produced at its Gurugram plant, chief executive Vishal Mittal told Argus, supporting domestic manufacturing of key project components. VRFBs store energy in liquid vanadium electrolyte while electricity is generated through cell stacks, enabling longer-duration storage by independently scaling energy capacity and power output.
The project is expected to be India's first grid-scale, non-lithium Bess project, broadening the country's storage technology mix beyond lithium-ion batteries that dominate current deployments, the company said.
Delectrik expects additional utility-scale VRFB opportunities in India over the next 12-24 months, including government tenders and commercial and industrial projects, Mittal said. The company pointed to a 120MWh VRFB tender issued by state-owned Gujarat Industries Power (GIPCL), for which bidding has closed and an award is expected in the coming weeks.
Delectrik previously deployed a 3MWh VRFB demonstration project for NTPC at Greater Noida in 2025.
India has 35.8GWh of Bess capacity under implementation as of March, according to the power ministry. The Central Electricity Authority's National Electricity Plan (2023) projects a requirement of 208GWh of Bess by 2030 to support the integration of growing renewable energy capacity into the grid.