India pushes for storage obligations for power companies… approves 92GWh support

India’s power ministry is drafting rules to mandate energy storage capacity for power utilities, with the Union Cabinet also approving support for 92GWh of storage projects ahead of commissioning. Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit in New Delhi that the government will additionally pursue clean-energy tenders paired with storage, according to Reuters. Bloomberg reported that the plan would require distribution companies to procure storage alongside renewable energy, though the national rules setting specific mandated volumes and an implementation date have not yet been issued. The move matters because it would create a policy-backed demand floor for battery storage in one of the world’s fastest-growing power markets, where round-the-clock renewable supply depends on storage. What to watch next is the publication of the final regulation specifying the obligated storage capacity and enforcement timeline, along with the design and schedule of the combined renewable-plus-storage tenders.