Utility Scale Storage

Indian energy storage startup Meine Electric has raised $750,000 (INR 6.7 crore) in a pre-seed funding round to support its transition from laboratory-scale prototypes to pilot-ready iron–air battery systems.

Despite strong industry interest, India’s Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC PLI) scheme, launched in October 2021, is yet to translate policy ambition into realised capacity. As of October 2025, only 2.8% (1.4 GWh) of the targeted 50 GWh capacity has been commissioned within the stipulated timeline, entirely by Ola Electric—according to a new report by JMK Research and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

NTPC has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the development of utility-scale projects for compressed air energy storage, including liquid air energy storage and other advanced compressed air-based long-duration energy storage systems.

AM Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Invest UP, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, to develop a 1 GW high-performance computing (HPC) hub, backed by renewable energy, to serve global AI workloads. The project will entail an investment of around $25 billion.

Kuldeep Gupta-led ChemVolt Global has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to establish a 5 GWh lithium-ion cell manufacturing gigafactory in the state, with a planned investment of INR 2,500 crore.

Iola Hughes, Head of Research at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, tells ESS News that 2026 is set to be another strong year for BESS, with forecast additions exceeding 450 GWh and no material supply constraints in sight. Meanwhile, the initial impact of rising lithium prices is already visible at the cell level, but the full effect has yet to ripple through to system pricing.

GoodEnough Energy has commissioned a 7 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) factory in Noida, marking the largest such facility in India. The company plans to expand the facility’s capacity from 7 GWh to over 25 GWh over the next three years.

Egypt’s Kemet has signed three agreements with Chinese companies over the last week, covering plans for a 5 GW solar cell complex, a 5 GWh battery energy storage factory and Egypt’s first solar inverter factory.

The federal government has unveiled new details of its plan to create a $1.2 billion critical mineral reserve. Three minerals will initially be the focus: antimony, gallium and rare earths (a group of 17 different elements).

The share of thermal power in India’s electricity generation is expected to fall below 70% next fiscal, driven by slower growth in power demand and a sharp rise in renewable energy (RE) generation, according to Crisil Ratings.