Strengthening grid resilience, Kilokri BESS sets a national model for Discoms

BRPL is actively contributing to national initiatives, such as the India Energy Stack and Digital Twin. The India Energy Stack is poised to unlock new energy commerce opportunities, enabling discoms to gain real-time visibility into distributed energy resources, thereby enhancing dispatch efficiency, improving forecasting, and accelerating outage resolution.

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The power sector is undergoing a drastic shift toward a digital and renewable landscape. BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) is at the forefront of this evolution. From launching the country's first commercially approved standalone utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Kilokri to pioneering demand-side management smart appliances and distributed energy initiatives, the company is setting new benchmarks in urban power distribution. In collaboration with TERI and actively participating in national efforts, such as the India Energy Stack and Digital Twin initiatives, BRPL is shaping a more sustainable, responsive, and consumer-centric grid. Abhishek Ranjan, CEO of BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, shares more insights in an exclusive interview with Sohail Khan, Associate Editor at EPR.

What significance does the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Kilokri hold as India’s first commercially approved standalone utility-scale project?

The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Kilokri stands as a landmark development in the country’s power distribution sector, being the first standalone utility-scale project commercially approved by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). Integrated within a 33/11 kV distribution substation, it signifies a major leap in grid modernisation and resource optimisation. By enabling efficient load management and energy arbitrage, the project offers tangible cost savings for the distribution companies (Discoms) with benefits ultimately passed on to end consumers. It serves as a model for BESS deployments nationwide, demonstrating how such systems can enhance grid flexibility and resilience.