India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued a significant advisory making 100% Grid Forming Inverters (GFMs) mandatory for all upcoming Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects in the country. The move is aimed at strengthening grid stability and preparing India’s power system to handle the rapid growth of renewable energy capacity.
The advisory was released by the Power System Planning & Appraisal-I Division of CEA with the approval of the CEA Chairperson. It highlights the growing need for advanced grid support technologies as India increases its dependence on solar, wind, and other inverter-based renewable energy sources.
India’s installed power generation capacity reached 542 GW as of May 31, 2026, including 157 GW of solar power and 57 GW of wind energy capacity. According to resource adequacy projections, the country’s total installed capacity is expected to rise to 1,121 GW by 2035–36. The future energy mix is projected to include 509 GW of solar capacity, 155 GW of wind capacity, and 174 GW/888 GWh of energy storage systems. This storage capacity will include 80 GW/321 GWh from Battery Energy Storage Systems and 94 GW/567 GWh from Pumped Storage Projects.
With the rapid expansion of renewable energy, concerns have emerged regarding grid stability due to the increasing use of conventional grid-following inverters. These systems depend on existing grid conditions and may face challenges in weak grid environments. Power system operators have reported issues such as low Short Circuit Ratios (SCR), power oscillations, and reduced system strength in several renewable energy zones.
To address these challenges, CEA held discussions with various national-level platforms, including the National Committee on Transmission (NCT) and Regional Power Committees (RPCs). The consultations highlighted the importance of Grid Forming Inverters, which operate as voltage sources and can actively support grid stability. Unlike traditional inverters, GFMs can improve system strength, control power fluctuations, and provide black-start support during grid failures.
Under the new technical requirements, all upcoming GFM-based BESS projects must be capable of stable operation under weak grid conditions with an SCR of 2.0 or lower at the Point of Interconnection. The systems must also provide extremely fast active and reactive power responses, responding within 5 milliseconds after a disturbance and achieving full response within 30 milliseconds.
The advisory also requires BESS projects to have short-term current overload capability of at least 1.5 per-unit for 200 milliseconds. Additionally, systems must support grid disturbance conditions, including voltage phase jumps up to ±60 degrees, high Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) events, and power oscillation damping between 0.1 Hz and 20 Hz.
Large-scale BESS projects with an aggregate capacity of 50 MW or more must include black-start capabilities and support continuous 24×7 participation in Automatic Generation Control (AGC). They must also enable smooth bidirectional charging and discharging without requiring cooling breaks between operations.
The CEA’s directive represents a major step toward developing a stronger and more flexible electricity grid. By mandating advanced inverter technology, India aims to ensure reliable integration of large-scale renewable energy while maintaining power quality and grid security.
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