NHPC Limited has invited bids for an 800 MW Jalaun BESS (battery energy storage system) to be built with the 1,200 MW Jalaun Solar Park in Uttar Pradesh. The tender, listed on NHPC’s website under NIT number 2026_NHPC_930977_1, opened on 4 November 2026. Bids can be submitted until 15 December 2026, and the bids are scheduled to be opened on 16 December 2026.
What the Jalaun BESS tender covers
NHPC’s tender title describes the work as setting up a BESS using the 1,200 MW solar project of Bundelkhand Saur Urja Limited (BSUL) at the Jalaun Solar Park in Uttar Pradesh, and the supply of power from solar-plus-BESS. It is a tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) process in the open category. NHPC has issued it on behalf of BSUL, the joint venture of NHPC and the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) that is developing the park in Jalaun district.
The tender offers two configurations, both with 800 MW of battery storage:
- Configuration I: 4,800 MWh of storage. The developer schedules 300 MW of solar power in solar hours and 800 MW of storage power in non-solar hours.
- Configuration II: 3,200 MWh of storage. The developer schedules 600 MW of solar power in solar hours and 800 MW of storage power in non-solar hours.
Bidders compete on a single composite tariff for the combined solar-plus-storage supply, not on separate solar and storage prices. The project follows a build-own-operate (BOO) model, so the selected developer will own and run the storage assets. Power is to be delivered at the 765/400 kV substation of Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), using the evacuation infrastructure that BSUL is building for the park.
Background: the Jalaun Solar Park
The Jalaun Solar Park is being developed by BSUL, in which NHPC is the majority shareholder and UPNEDA holds the rest. The solar capacity of the park was already awarded earlier in 2026: 1.2 GW was split equally between Coal India Limited and NLC India Renewables Limited at a winning tariff of Rs 2.73 per kWh, as reported by vyqon.in in July 2026. This new tender is therefore not a fresh solar tender. It adds the storage layer to the same park, so that the solar output can be shifted into evening and night hours.
What was not disclosed
The tender listing does not name the buyer of the solar-plus-storage power, and the NHPC page does not show a tariff ceiling, bid security or fees. This article does not state any of them. The NHPC page also lists the bid documents only for download after login, so conditions beyond those given above could not be verified.
What it means for India’s clean-energy sector
Pairing storage with solar in the same park is one of the routes India is using to turn daytime solar generation into power that is available after sunset. A solar-plus-storage tender with a single composite tariff lets the developer plan the solar supply and the batteries together, and gives the buyer a power profile that covers both solar and non-solar hours.
At 800 MW, with a storage duration of four to six hours under the two configurations (3,200 MWh and 4,800 MWh), the Jalaun BESS tender is a large storage procurement from a central public sector company. The two options also let the final procurer choose between a larger storage share and a larger solar share once demand is known. For developers, the 15 December 2026 deadline leaves about six weeks to prepare bids.
For Uttar Pradesh, the park already has a dedicated evacuation system and a connection to the national grid at the PGCIL substation. Using this existing infrastructure for the batteries avoids building a separate transmission line for the storage project.
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