MUMBAI: Maharashtra has initiated the process to develop its first floating solar power project with battery storage by inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) for an integrated 11-MW Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) project and a 5.5-MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Veer reservoir in Satara district.The Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) has proposed the project under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.Scheduled for commissioning in FY 2028-29, it is expected to be the state’s first reservoir-based solar plant integrated with battery storage, enabling solar energy generated during the day to be stored and supplied during peak demand hours.Unlike conventional solar parks, the project will use the surface of the Veer reservoir, reducing the need for land acquisition while also helping minimise water evaporation. The reservoir will continue to be used for irrigation alongside renewable energy generation.The project will include a 5.5-MW/11-MWh battery energy storage system, in line with the Maharashtra Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Policy, which requires storage capacity equivalent to at least 50% of renewable energy capacity for projects commissioned in FY 2028-29.The storage system is expected to improve grid stability and enhance renewable energy utilisation.The selected private developer will finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the project under a 25-year Lease-Develop-Operate-Transfer (LDOT) concession, after which the assets will be transferred back to MKVDC.Power generated will be evacuated through MSETCL/MSEDCL substations at Lonand and Shirwal.The EOI also outlines safeguards to ensure the project does not affect dam operations, irrigation releases or the reservoir’s ecology.Developers will be required to maintain exclusion zones around critical dam infrastructure, prepare environmental management plans and coordinate with fisheries stakeholders.To qualify, bidders must have experience in developing at least a 5-MW floating solar project and a 2-MW battery energy storage system, or equivalent energy-sector PPP projects, besides operating a renewable energy project of at least 5 MW for two years.They must also meet specified financial eligibility criteria.MKVDC said the EOI is only a market-sounding and shortlisting exercise and does not constitute a commitment to issue a request for proposal or award the project.
