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PLI ACC (advanced chemistry cell) battery scheme
What it is
National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage, approved May 2021 with an outlay of Rs 18,100 cr to build 50 GWh of giga-scale cell manufacturing plus 5 GWh of niche technologies
40 GWh was allocated in earlier rounds; the remaining 10 GWh was tendered in Jul 2026 specifically for grid-scale stationary storage, with bids closing 13 Oct 2026. Facilities must commission within two years, with subsidy paid over five
Impact on industries
- Attacks real import dependence - India assembles packs but imports cells; the 2026 round also reserves capacity for the grid rather than vehicles for the first time
- Upstream minerals remain the binding constraint - lithium, cobalt and nickel refining is largely absent domestically, so cell plants would run on imported inputs
- Scale is small against need - 2030 storage requirements are many multiples of the tendered capacity, and first plants are years from production
- Runs alongside separate viability gap funding for roughly 43 GWh of BESS projects - one scheme funds factories, the other funds installations