Thiruvananthapuram, 07 Oct (H.S.):

Kerala plans to establish a 2,000 MWh battery energy storage system at Kayamkulam and procure additional electricity from NTPC as part of measures to meet rising demand and strengthen the state’s long-term energy security.

The decisions emerged from high-level discussions in Delhi, where the state and the central public sector power company considered projects addressing both immediate shortages and future requirements.

The Kayamkulam storage project will be jointly implemented by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), NTPC and NTPC Green Energy Limited. Intended to support renewable energy storage, the facility will form a major component of the state’s efforts to expand its energy infrastructure.

Two smaller battery energy storage systems, each with a capacity of 80 MWh, are also scheduled to be commissioned at Pothencode and Sreekandapuram by March 2027. These projects will add to Kerala’s planned storage capacity as electricity consumption continues to increase.

To address the immediate power shortfall, an agreement was reached to make available up to 300 MW from NTPC’s Sinnar project in Maharashtra at a tariff of Rs 5.18 per unit. The proposed supply is among the measures discussed to help the state meet its growing electricity needs.

The meeting also decided to accelerate further work on NTPC’s 27 MW solar project at Kayamkulam, bringing additional renewable generation into the broader energy development programme.

For its longer-term requirements, Kerala requested NTPC to establish a dedicated power plant. The company also expressed willingness to sign a memorandum of understanding for supplying electricity from the Ramagundam power plant.

Alongside generation, procurement and storage, the discussions covered improvements to KSEB’s operations. NTPC will provide professional support to help make the board’s technical and management functions more efficient.

Together, the initiatives seek to strengthen electricity availability while preparing Kerala’s power system for higher demand and an expanding renewable energy sector.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman