Fresh bids for advanced chemistry cells

livemint.com:

₹18,000-crore Advanced Chemistry Cells, or ACC project. The scheme aims to incentivize production of 20GWh battery storage capacity, it said on Wednesday. During the initial round of awards under the PLI scheme, three companies qualified for incentives: Ola Electric, Reliance New Energy, and Rajesh Exports.

However, Ola Electric (for 20GWh lithium-ion cell) and Reliance New Energy (for 5GWh sodium-ion cell manufacturing) have presented the roadmap for actual production to the government. Bangalore-based precious jewellery firm Rajesh Exports, which had qualified for incentives for a 5GWh lithium-ion cell production capacity is yet to submit plans and is likely to be disqualified. The three firms committed a cumulative investment of ₹27,000 crore under the PLI scheme.

The government will sanction additional incentives for a 10GWh capacity project using new battery technologies such as solid state, zinc-based, and iron-air batteries. The process for this will start in September, said heavy industries secretary Kamran Rizvi on the sidelines of the G20 energy transition working group meeting in Goa on Wednesday. G20 sherpa in India’s presidency year, Amitabh Kant said battery storage capacity will be key to India’s energy transition journey.

The ministry will be holding consultations with industry stakeholder on 24 July, ahead of the re-bidding process for the ACC PLI scheme. Ola Electric will deploy the first phase of its lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu with a capacity of 5GWh by the end of 2024, Rizvi added. Ola is striving to have 1GWh capacity on stream at the unit by the end of this year, people in the know told Mint.