The Task Force on Infrastructure Finance at PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), in collaboration with the NEXGEN Foundation, successfully organised the Workshop on Financing BESS: Innovative Strategies – Unlocking India’s Energy Storage Potential: Policies, Projects, and Financing Pathways at PHD House, New Delhi. The workshop brought together senior industry leaders, financial institutions, and global experts to deliberate on innovative financing models that can accelerate the deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in India’s clean energy landscape.
The proceedings commenced with a welcome and theme address by Mr Sanjeev Gupta, Co-Chair, Infrastructure Finance Task Force, PHDCCI & Managing Director, NEXGEN Financial Solutions Pvt. Ltd., who underlined the critical role of financing in mainstreaming energy storage technologies.
The inaugural session featured distinguished contributions from Dr Ajay Mathur, Professor (Public Policy), IIT Delhi & Former Director General of the International Solar Alliance, who spoke about policy frameworks needed to enable storage adoption; Ms Riya Saxena, Senior Associate and Climate Finance Expert, RMI India, who emphasised international best practices in storage financing; Mr P.K. Jena, Chief General Manager (Power Trading), NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd, who elaborated on trading mechanisms and the commercial outlook for BESS; and Mr Satyan Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, ONGC Green Ltd., who discussed the role of storage in corporate energy transition strategies.
Industry perspectives were further enriched by Mr Parveen Jangra, Founder, COO & CTO, Oriana Power Ltd., who highlighted entrepreneurial and technology-driven solutions; Mr Umang Maheshwari, Managing Director, BESS, The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), who shared global financing experiences; and Mr J.K. Mittal, Advocate, Supreme Court of India & Legal Consultant (GST), who provided insights on the legal and taxation environment relevant to BESS projects.
Following the inaugural session, the workshop hosted two high-powered panel discussions.
The first panel discussion on “Debt Finance: Lenders, Private Credit Funds & Innovative Credit Solutions” was chaired by Mr Sanjeev Gupta and moderated by Mr Gulshan Malik, Former Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India. The session brought together Mr Raman Aggarwal, CEO, Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC); Mr Kamlesh Menon, Chief General Manager (Projects), Power Finance Corporation Ltd.; Mr Naveen Rawat, General Manager, PFSBU, State Bank of India; and Mr Garvit Shah, Principal Professional, New Development Bank. The panellists discussed the importance of structured lending, credit enhancements, and innovative debt instruments to support large-scale BESS projects.
The second panel discussion, titled “Equity & Innovative Solutions: Venture Capital, PE, Family Offices, Structured Products,” was moderated by Mr Vipin Agarwal, Founder & Director of Longview Research and Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd., and chaired once again by Mr Sanjeev Gupta. This session featured insights from Mr Abhishek Ranjan, CEO, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL); Mr Anand Kumar, Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Planning, PTC India Ltd.; Mr Rajesh Sharma, Chief Growth Officer, Waaree Energies & Waaree Ventures; Mr Gaurav Kapoor, Founder & Managing Partner, Ekamya Capital Advisory LLP (Ekamya Pragati Fund); Mr Ankur Gupta, Chief Investment Officer, Sindhu Trade Links Ltd.; Mr Ashish Agarwal, CEO, Pushpak Rental Solution Pvt. Ltd., and Dr Munish Sabharwal, Managing Director, Nexdigm. The discussion centred on the evolving roles of venture capital, private equity, and innovative financial instruments in developing scalable and bankable storage business models.
Key takeaway: Experts concluded that India’s energy transition will significantly depend on robust financing frameworks, clear policy support, and collaborative innovation to unlock the full potential of battery energy storage systems, thereby strengthening grid reliability and advancing sustainable growth.
