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Alpha Devraj — Energy Storage Systems

Policy & tenders

What is NTPC REL's 100 MWh vanadium flow battery award?

NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC REL) has selected Bondada Engineering as winner of a 100 MWh vanadium redox flow battery storage project. Reported on 20 July 2026, it is a notable long-duration, non-lithium award — flow chemistry suits many-hour storage — and signals utility appetite to trial alternatives to lithium-ion.

Published 22 July 2026 · Last updated 22 July 2026 · 1 min read · By Alpha Devraj ESS Research Desk

A long-duration, non-lithium award, tracked as part of our tender tracker.

Award Mercom / pv magazine · 20 Jul 2026

NTPC REL vanadium flow battery

Energy

100 MWh

Chemistry

Vanadium flow

Winner

Bondada

Tendered Awarded Built Live

A rare non-lithium award — flow batteries decouple power from energy, making them well-suited to the many-hour storage lithium handles less economically.

Mercom India ↗

What it means

Most Indian storage tenders assume lithium-ion; a vanadium redox flow award is a deliberate step toward long-duration alternatives. Flow batteries separate the power stack from the electrolyte tanks, so adding hours of storage is comparatively cheap — the opposite of lithium’s economics. It complements the lithium chemistries we compare in our LFP vs NMC guide, and sits within the same NTPC storage push driving India’s central tenders.

The award has been made; the project now moves toward build.

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