THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralam will get up to 300 MW of electricity from the Sinnar thermal power project of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd in Maharashtra at Rs 5.18 per unit, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday following discussions with the central public sector power company in New Delhi.
Keralam has been seeking additional power amid a sharp rise in demand and shortages during peak hours. The state had recently approached several states and power producers for additional supplies and is also pursuing longer-term power purchase agreements.
Satheesan said Keralam had also asked NTPC to establish a dedicated power plant to meet its long-term electricity requirements. NTPC has expressed willingness to sign a Power Purchase Agreement to supply the required electricity from its Ramagundam plant, he said.
The discussions also covered battery energy storage projects. The 40 MW/160 MWh BESS projects at Pothencode and Sreekandapuram, being implemented by NTPC Green Energy, are now scheduled for commissioning by March 2027, according to Satheesan. NTPC had invited bids for the 80 MW/320 MWh combined project in August 2025.
The March 2027 timeline comes after KSEB had expected the two projects to become operational by the end of 2026. Delays in the availability of battery systems had been cited as a factor affecting commissioning of BESS projects in the state.
At Kayamkulam, KSEB, NTPC and NTPC Green Energy will sign an MoU for a 2,000 MWh BESS project. NTPC’s proposed 27 MW solar project at Kayamkulam will also be expedited with state support.
NTPC will also provide professional and technical expertise to KSEB in management, technical operations and modern power-management systems, Satheesan said.
The measures come as Keralam tries to increase its access to dispatchable power while using battery storage to shift daytime solar generation to peak-demand periods.