Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of Public Sector Undertakings under the Ministry of Power, has issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for a new infrastructure project focused on energy storage in Sikkim. The IFB, released on December 10, 2025, calls for sealed bids from eligible firms under a domestic competitive bidding process, with the project fully funded through domestic resources.

The project involves the design, supply, testing, and commissioning of a fully integrated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with a capacity of 120 kilowatts and six hours of storage at New Melli, Sikkim. The selected bidder will be responsible for the turnkey implementation of the system, covering the complete installation and commissioning. The technical details and specific scope of work are outlined in Part-C of Section-4 of the bidding documents.

EESL has arranged a Pre-bid meeting for prospective participants on December 19, 2025, at 11:00 AM IST. This meeting will be conducted online, though bidders may choose to attend in person at the EESL Corporate Office located at 1st to 4th Floor, IKON Tower, Film City, Sector 16A, Noida, Uttar Pradesh – 201301. The meeting is intended to clarify project requirements and address bidder queries before the submission of proposals.

Bids are required to be submitted by December 30, 2025, at 11:00 AM IST. Both the online submission and hard copy components must be completed by this time. The initial bid envelope, known as Envelope-1, which includes Packet-I and Packet-II, will be opened the same day at 11:30 AM IST. The opening of Envelope-2, containing the Price Bid, will be scheduled and communicated to eligible bidders after the evaluation of the first envelope in line with the Instructions to Bidders.

A non-refundable tender document fee of ₹20,000 is required to participate in the bidding process. Additionally, all bidders must submit a Bid Security or Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of ₹5,00,000. Both the fee and EMD can be paid online or physically, as outlined in Section 2 of the Instructions to Bidders.

Upon issuance of the Letter of Award (LOA) to the successful bidder, the full scope of work, including engineering, installation, and commissioning, must be completed within three months. The project also specifies warranty requirements: the battery components must carry a five-year warranty from the date of commissioning, while the Balance of System (BoS) components must have a twelve-month warranty from commissioning or eighteen months from delivery, whichever is earlier.

EESL has emphasized that it reserves the right to cancel or withdraw the IFB at any stage without providing a reason and will not be liable for any consequences resulting from such a decision. All official communications, including clarification requests, should be directed to the AGM (Contracts) or Manager (Contracts) at the EESL Corporate Office. This initiative demonstrates EESL’s continued efforts to expand energy storage infrastructure in India, ensuring reliable and modern energy solutions for strategic locations such as New Melli in Sikkim.