NTPC Khavda 3,300 MWh BESS Tender: How Many Containers You Really Need (2026)

By Daniyal, Jingye New Energy. Published October 19, 2026.

NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL) has invited turnkey EPC bids for a 3,300 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the NTPC REL Khavda solar plant in Gujarat, reported by pv magazine India on October 9. Bids are due on October 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM, according to Energetica India.

The market behind it is huge. India had 19,798 MW / 61,013 MWh of battery storage under tendering in early 2026, per T&D India. But the headline number is not the amount of battery you buy. This guide explains how the tender defines capacity, how many containers it really takes, and what bidders should check before they price the job.

What exactly is NGEL buying at Khavda?

A complete, grid-connected BESS split into four blocks, delivered turnkey with 15 years of operation and maintenance (O&M).

Sources: TaiyangNews, Energetica India, pv magazine India. Always confirm against the official NGEL bid document.

Why is 3,300 MWh not the amount of battery you install?

Because the tender counts energy delivered at the grid point, and energy is lost on the way there from the battery.

Every MWh leaving a battery cell passes through the power conversion system (PCS), the inverter-duty transformer, the power transformer and the line to the POI. Each step takes a small cut. On top of that, a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery is not normally run from 100% to 0%, so part of its nameplate energy is kept in reserve. The tender also states the transformer and line losses that must be built into sizing.

Put together, only about 91% of nameplate DC energy reaches the POI in our working assumptions. That gap is what bidders must cover with extra containers.

How many 5.015 MWh containers does the Khavda tender need?

About 197 containers per 900 MWh block and 131 for the 600 MWh block, or 722 in total, based on the assumptions below.

*Jingye New Energy estimate. PCS efficiency, transformer efficiency and usable depth of discharge are typical working assumptions, not tender values; replace them with your own equipment data. Tender loss figures from TaiyangNews.

Power is not the limit here. A 300 MW block needs about 311.5 MW on the DC side after losses, or about 1.58 MW per container. Our 5.015 MWh liquid-cooled container is rated up to 2.5 MW, so a 3-hour duty sits comfortably inside its range.

How does battery ageing change the container count?

If cells fade faster than the tender's guarantee curve, you need more containers on day one or a plan to add them later.

The tender asks for 98% of contracted energy after year 1 and 70% in year 15. So the battery's state of health (SOH) at those points sets a minimum oversizing factor: the larger of 0.98 ÷ SOH in year 1 and 0.70 ÷ SOH in year 15. The table shows how this plays out under three example ageing curves.

Jingye New Energy estimate. SOH values are illustrative scenarios, not a warranty curve for any product. The tender lets bidders propose their own degradation; check the bid document for whether augmentation (adding batteries later) is allowed.

Note that year 1 often decides the count, not year 15. A fresh battery that loses more than 2% in its first year fails the 98% test unless it was oversized from the start.

What does the round-trip efficiency rule mean in practice?

Every kWh used by cooling, BMS and auxiliary loads counts against the 80% monthly minimum, so thermal design matters as much as cell quality.

Khavda sits in the hot, dusty Kutch region, and the rule is checked month by month, not as a yearly average. Cooling load is highest in the summer months, which is exactly when a weak thermal design can push efficiency under the limit. Ask suppliers for auxiliary power at full load and high ambient temperature, not just at 25°C.

• Check charging and discharging temperature ranges against site data.
• Ask for measured temperature spread inside packs and cabinets: an even temperature slows ageing.
• Model auxiliary consumption month by month for the 80% test.

What will the Khavda BESS roughly cost?

A rough benchmark is about ₹3,700 crore, based on NTPC's recent average of ₹1.12 crore per MWh reported by T&D India.

For example, Solarworld won a 132 MW / 264 MWh package at NTPC Solapur for ₹314.26 crore excluding taxes, as Energetica India reported, which works out to about ₹1.19 crore per MWh. Treat these as reference points only: the earlier packages carried 11 years of O&M, while Khavda asks for 15, and the extra 10% of installed battery shown above also has to be priced in.

The wider trend helps bidders. Wood Mackenzie said on October 8 that four-hour battery storage is now cheaper than new open-cycle gas peakers in all 43 markets where it modelled both, in its latest cost report.

What should EPC bidders check before pricing?

• Capacity basis: size to AC energy at the POI, including the stated 1% and 0.25% losses.
• Year-1 fade: confirm your cell supplier's first-year degradation is below 2%, or oversize.
• Augmentation rules: check whether batteries may be added later or must be installed at COD.
• Logistics: 722 containers at about 43 t each is roughly 31,000 t of equipment and about 10,660 m² of container footprint before spacing.
• Fire safety: check pack, cluster and compartment-level suppression, plus spacing rules between containers.
• Supply contract terms: performance guarantees should match the 15-year O&M and the year-15 energy test.

For contract wording, see our guide on the ESCA model BESS supply contract. For how large batteries support solar plants like Khavda, read grid-scale battery storage for renewable energy integration.

How can Jingye New Energy support a Khavda bid?

We supply the 5.015 MWh liquid-cooled BESS container used in the sizing above, built in-house on a 15 GWh module and PACK production line.

• 314Ah LFP cells, 1,331.2 V DC rated (1,164.8–1,497.6 V range), up to 2.5 MW per 20 ft container.
• Liquid cooling with temperature spread within 3°C inside each pack and 5°C across the cabinet.
• Aerosol plus water fire protection at pack, cluster and compartment level, with a three-level automatic alarm and suppression system.
• Standards listed on the product page: GB/T 36276, IEC/EN 62619, IEC/EN 62477, UN 38.3, IEC/EN 63056.
• Discharge range of -30°C to 60°C and altitude up to 4,000 m (derating above 3,000 m).
• Company systems: ISO quality, environmental and occupational health and safety certification, SGS certification and a CNAS-accredited test laboratory.

Our containers already run in large projects, including the Jiangsu Jingye Iron and Steel 50 MW / 100.32 MWh station (20 battery cabins of 5 MWh with 10 PCS cabins of 5 MW) and the Huaxi Special Steel 15 MW / 30.09 MWh station, which runs two cycles a day. See the full energy storage system range.

FAQ

When is the NTPC Green Khavda BESS bid deadline?

Bids are due on October 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM, with techno-commercial bids opened the same day.

Is Khavda a 4-hour or 3-hour battery tender?

It is a 3-hour system: 1,100 MW of power and 3,300 MWh of energy, operated on one cycle per day.

How many battery containers does a 3,300 MWh tender need?

Our estimate is about 722 containers of 5.015 MWh, or around 3,621 MWh installed, before oversizing for degradation. The exact number depends on your PCS, transformer and depth-of-discharge figures.

Why must bidders oversize the battery?

Capacity is measured as AC energy at the grid point, so conversion losses, transformer and line losses and reserved state of charge all have to be covered by extra installed energy.

What degradation does the tender allow?

Each block must deliver at least 98% of contracted energy at the end of year 1 and 70% in year 15, with degradation proposed by the bidder.

What is a typical BESS EPC cost in India?

NTPC's recent awards averaged about ₹1.12 crore per MWh, though scope, duration and O&M length differ between packages.

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