On 9 November 2026, NTPC Green Energy Limited, the renewables arm of NTPC, invited bids to supply battery containers and grid-forming power conversion systems for 10 GW / 40 GWh of BESS projects. It is an international competitive bid, and the block table in the notice adds up to 40.58 GWh of deliverable capacity.

That makes it one of the largest single equipment orders for battery storage India has issued. This guide turns the notice into numbers a bidder can use: how many containers each block needs, who can qualify, how much turnover and bid security each block requires, and what to check in the container spec before 8 December.

What is NGEL buying in this tender?

NGEL is buying hardware and long-term service, not a finished power plant. The scope in the IFB has three parts:

• Supply of LFP-based containerised battery systems with grid-forming PCS.
• Supervision of erection, installation and commissioning at each site, up to the PCS output terminals.
• Comprehensive service and maintenance for 15 years from commissioning, under a Long Term Service Agreement (LTSA).

The bid is single stage, two envelope: a techno-commercial bid with nil deviation, and a separate price bid. Documents are free but are only released after a bidder registers on the ETS portal and signs NGEL's non-disclosure agreement. The schedule is tight:

Timeline source: NGEL IFB, 9 Nov 2026.

How many battery containers does each block need?

Between 910 and 1,356 containers per block, using a 5.015 MWh, 20 ft container. Bidders can quote one, several or all blocks, but each block must be quoted in full, so the block is the smallest unit you can win.

Table 1. Block sizes and minimum container count. Capacity: NGEL IFB. Container count = deliverable capacity ÷ 5.015 MWh, rounded up; Jingye estimate. The block rows add to 8,096 because each block is rounded up separately.

How much hardware is 40.58 GWh in practice?

Phase 1 and Phase 3 are each roughly four times the size of Phase 2. A supplier that wins a full phase has to plan factory output and shipping for thousands of containers, not hundreds.

Figure 1. Phase capacity ÷ 5.015 MWh, rounded up. Phase capacity: NGEL IFB; container counts are a Jingye estimate.

Three more numbers give a sense of scale, all Jingye estimates at the 8,092-container minimum:

• Footprint: each 20 ft container measures 6,058 × 2,438 mm, so 8,092 containers cover about 119,500 m² (roughly 12 hectares) before spacing, roads and PCS skids.
• Weight: at about 43 t per container, that is around 348,000 t of equipment to transport and crane into place.
• Cells: 314Ah LFP cells averaged $54.21/kWh ex-works China in September 2026. At that price, the cells alone for 40.58 GWh cost about $2.2 billion, before containers, PCS, cooling, fire protection, freight and the LTSA.

Who can bid, and what is the partner route?

There are two ways in. Either you are a battery container manufacturer with large LFP references, or you are an Indian company with smaller BESS, solar, wind or industrial references that partners with such a manufacturer.

In practice, the partner route means most Indian EPCs and developers will bid with a container maker named in a joint undertaking. That maker shares liability for the whole contract, so choosing the partner is the single biggest decision in the bid. For background on India's wider localisation push, see our guide to the 40% local content rule under the ₹14,500 crore VGF scheme.

How much turnover and bid security does each block need?

Average annual turnover over the last three financial years must be at least INR 69 lakh per MWh quoted. Bid security is INR 50 crore for up to 5 GWh, INR 100 crore from 5 to 10 GWh and INR 200 crore above 10 GWh.

Table 2. Financial thresholds by block. Rules and bid security: NGEL IFB. Turnover = INR 69 lakh × quoted MWh; USD at the IFB's own bid-security rate (INR 50 crore = USD 5,253,200, about 95.18 INR/USD); Jingye estimate.

Two details matter. First, a bidder that cannot meet turnover alone may rely on its holding company, with a board-backed letter of support. Second, on the partner routes the qualified manufacturer must also meet the INR 69 lakh per MWh turnover test, so a partner that fits the technical clause can still fail the financial one. Net worth must also be at least 25% of paid-up share capital, with limits on erosion over the last three years.

What container specs matter for a 4-hour Indian grid project?

A 10 GW / 40 GWh programme is a 4-hour design, so each 5.015 MWh container only has to deliver about 1.25 MW, roughly half the ≤ 2.5 MW rating of a typical 314Ah liquid-cooled container (Jingye estimate). The harder tests are heat, life and service. Check these before you sign a joint undertaking:

• Chemistry and nameplate: LFP only, with nameplate MWh and deliverable MWh stated separately in the offer.
• Heat: discharge and charge temperature range that covers Rajasthan and Gujarat summers, and liquid cooling with a stated cell temperature spread.
• Grid-forming PCS: the PCS is part of the scope, so check that the container's DC voltage window and PCS input range match.
• 15-year LTSA: cycle life, degradation curve and augmentation plan that hold deliverable capacity for the full service term.
• Safety and standards: fire detection and suppression at pack, cluster and container level, plus IEC 62619 and UN 38.3 test reports.
• Altitude and dust: derating rules for high sites and enclosure protection for desert dust.

Grid-forming PCS also opens the door to black start services. See our guide to black start capability in battery energy storage systems.

How does this tender fit with India's other storage programmes?

It lands in a crowded month. Bidders and suppliers are pricing several large Indian programmes at once:

The NGEL IFB itself does not mention a domestic content rule, so check the full bidding document rather than assuming the VGF rule applies. We covered a smaller state build-own-operate tender in our MAHAGENCO 1,600 MWh sizing guide.

How should bidders prepare before 8 December?

Lock the partner and the block choice by the 24 November query deadline, because nothing can be clarified after that.

1. Register and sign NDARegister on the ETS portal before 23 November to get the documents.
2. Pick your blocksMatch block size to the turnover you or your parent can prove, using Table 2.
3. Confirm the partnerCheck the partner's references against Clause 1.1: 4,000 MWh, ≤ 10 orders, one 500 MWh single site.
4. Size real MWhConvert deliverable GWh to nameplate using the spec's DoD, losses and LTSA degradation rules.
5. Send queriesRaise spec gaps and LTSA terms before the 24 November pre-bid conference.
6. Arrange bid securityLine up the INR 50, 100 or 200 crore bank guarantee and a physical copy for submission.

Frequently asked questions

Hebei Jingye New Energy Technology Co., Ltd, part of Jingye Group, makes liquid-cooled BESS containers, C&I energy storage cabinets, cell contact systems, DC fast EV chargers and LFP commercial vehicle batteries for buyers worldwide.