Singareni to set up 1 MW BESS at Mandamarri solar plant

According to company CMD N Balram, Mars India Antennas and RF Systems, Kanpur had been given the task of setting up a one megawatt capacity battery energy storage system as a pilot project

Hyderabad: The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of 1 MW/2.5 MWh at its 28 MW Solar Power Plant located in Mandamarri area of Mancherial District.

According to company Chairman and Managing Director N Balram, Mars India Antennas and RF Systems, Kanpur had been given the task of setting up a one megawatt capacity battery energy storage system as a pilot project.

---

The one megawatt battery energy storage system being set up as a pilot project in the 28 MW solar plant in the Mandamarri area would save solar power worth Rs. 13 lakh per month (Rs. 1.6 crore per annum), he said adding that if the pilot project was successful, two more megawatt systems would be set up at the plant site, thereby saving solar power worth about Rs. 40 lakh per month and Rs. 4.8 crore per annum.

The electricity generated by the Mandamarri solar plant was being used for industrial needs in 11 underground mines, 4 open cast mines and other industrial areas in Mandamarri and Srirampur areas, he said, adding that the plant generates an average of 1.34 lakh units of electricity per day, of which the company consumes about 1.14 lakh units and the remaining 20,000 units had to be sent to the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company (TGNPDCL) through a local substation free of cost.

While one megawatt (BESS) costs about Rs. 2.5 crore, the cost of three megawatt plants was estimated to be about Rs. 7.5 crore, he said.

Before setting up the solar plant in Mandamarri area, Singareni company used to purchase electricity worth Rs. 13 crore per month from the DISCOMs for the needs of 15 mines in Srirampur and Mandamarri areas, he said, adding that since the installation of the 28 MW solar power plant in 2021, it has been paying only Rs. 9 crore for electricity bills per month. “if this battery energy storage system is successful, another Rs. 4.8 crore will be saved,” he said.