ACME Solar Rajasthan BESS Reaches Commercial Operation
ACME Solar has placed the first 53.63 MW/300 MWh phase of its Rajasthan battery project into commercial operation, while most of the planned 1,581 MWh buildout remains unfinished.
Published · 3 min read
The ACME Solar Rajasthan BESS reached commercial operation on September 16, adding 53.63 MW/300 MWh of battery capacity at Kelan village in Bikaner district, according to a company filing and press release.
The operating phase is the first portion of a planned 300 MW/1,581 MWh battery system being developed by ACME Greentech Seventh for a firm and dispatchable renewable energy project. ACME says the commissioned capacity raised its operational battery portfolio to 4.16 GWh.
The milestone applies only to the initial battery phase. The associated renewable-generation component remains under development, and the remaining 246.37 MW/1,281 MWh of planned storage has not yet reached commercial operation.
ACME Solar Rajasthan BESS begins commercial service
ACME disclosed the milestone through a September 16 exchange filing. The company said its subsidiary commissioned the battery phase before its September 16 commercial operation date and expects to complete the full storage component during the third quarter of the current financial year.
The 300 MWh energy rating divided by the 53.63 MW power rating implies approximately 5.6 hours of nameplate discharge at maximum rated output. That calculation is not a statement of usable duration. Operating limits, auxiliary demand, state-of-charge reserves, degradation allowances and contractual delivery requirements can reduce the energy available for dispatch.
ACME identifies the development as its first assured off-peak power supply project. The company has a power purchase agreement with SJVN Limited, while REC is providing long-term project financing. Public disclosures do not specify the battery manufacturer, cell chemistry, inverter supplier, usable capacity or commissioning-test results.
The battery is one part of a larger FDRE project
Firm and dispatchable renewable energy contracts combine generation and storage so electricity can be delivered during defined periods rather than only when wind or solar resources are producing. The battery can charge when renewable electricity is available and discharge later to support the contracted delivery schedule.
The operating storage should not be described as proof that the entire ACME project is complete. pv magazine India reported that only the initial 53.63 MW/300 MWh battery phase has been commissioned for this FDRE project and that its associated renewable-generation component remains under development.
ACME separately reported 66.68 MW of solar commissioning at Kelan through another subsidiary and under a different project structure. That solar phase is part of a planned 300 MW solar and 100 MW wind hybrid project backed by an NTPC power purchase agreement. The shared location and combined press release do not make the two project companies or offtake arrangements interchangeable.
Rajasthan is adding multiple dispatchable renewable projects
The ACME Solar Rajasthan BESS follows the commissioning of Tata Power Renewable Energy’s 190.5 MW Rajasthan FDRE project in August. Tata’s Kalasar facility combines solar generation with 115 MWh of storage, while ACME has disclosed both the power and energy ratings for its initial battery phase.
The projects illustrate India’s shift toward procurement based on delivery profiles rather than renewable nameplate capacity alone. That direction also appears in the Central Electricity Authority’s proposed renewable energy storage requirements, although those technical amendments remain under consultation and should not be treated as final rules.
On the supply side, the recently announced Premier Energies battery factory plan targets domestic BESS manufacturing capacity. It is distinct from ACME’s operating project: factory output capacity measures potential annual equipment production, while ACME’s 300 MWh figure measures energy installed at a specific grid-connected site.
Full-project completion remains ahead
Power Line reported the September 16 commercial operation date and confirmed that the renewable component is still being developed. Independent reports largely rely on ACME’s regulatory disclosure, so measured operating performance has not yet been independently established.
The next verifiable milestones are additional battery commissioning, completion of the associated renewable capacity and disclosure of operating results. ACME’s stated target for the full 300 MW/1,581 MWh storage component remains forward-looking until each phase reaches commercial operation.
For now, the ACME Solar Rajasthan BESS should be classified as a partially commissioned project with 53.63 MW/300 MWh in commercial service. The completed phase is material, but the majority of the planned storage capacity and the associated renewable-generation buildout remain unfinished.
