Govt weighs ₹500-cr push for battery storage testing

Reliance on Chinese imports, limited local testing raise supply chain and cyber security risks

- Rituraj Baruah & Manas Pimpalkhare

Risks related to electric vehicle fires, and India's hot climate are driving the need for localised battery testing and certification norms.

(REUTERS)

With battery storage seen as critical to India’s renewable energy transition—spanning grid-scale storage and electric mobility—the government is considering a ₹500-crore allocation in FY27 Budget to set up testing and certification infrastructure for battery energy storage systems (BESS), alongside support for research and development, said two people familiar with the matter.

Given the infirm nature of wind and solar power—it is generated only when the wind blows and the sun shines—BESS can help store energy and feed electricity to the grid any time in a 24-hour cycle. The allocation is likely to go towards setting up the National BESS Testing and Safety Centres under the National Accreditation Board or Bureau of Indian Standards and creating certification centres to certify prototypes for advanced chemistry cells.

Battery-pack level testing, which is done for electric vehicles will also be supported through the allocation. Further, tie-ups for R&D programmes are likely to be promoted between the industry, national laboratories, and Indian Institutes of Technology(ITs), with multiyear grants.