Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has issued draft regulations relating to safety measures for battery energy storage systems (BESS).
These regulations essentially cover definitions and additional safety requirements for BESS. Under the general safety considerations, the following regulations have been proposed:
- The chargers used for charging the battery energy storage systems shall be designed for the chemistry of the battery to be charged
- The battery system shall be designed with two-fault tolerance to prevent catastrophic failures under all conditions, including but not limited to overcharge, over-discharge, short circuit, and operation outside specified temperature limits,( Two-fault tolerance refers to the system’s ability to continue to operate safely or shut down safely even after two independent faults have occurred)
- Testing of BESS shall be carried out as per relevant standard
- Fire and explosion protection at Cell level, Module level, container level and site specific installation level shall be as per the relevant standard
- BMS shall monitor and record voltage, temperature, current, and thermal runway at cell level and module level.
- Coolant lines shall be routed and secured to mitigate leakage on live electrical parts. A failure of the dielectric fluid cooling system, including any fault in the cooling lines shall not result in a leakage that can cause short circuiting of the cells inside the battery pack or lead to a hazardous condition.
The new regulations also cover safety aspects related to battery container, equipment location, ventilation, hazard detection and suppression system, electrolyte spillage, lighting and signage, security systems, emergency stops, earthing, etc.
Public comments
CEA has sought comments from stakeholders and the general public on these draft regulations, up to July 20, 2025. These draft regulations are available on the official website of CEA, and may be accessed using this external link.
Technicalities
Once formalized, these regulations known as “Draft Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2025” will be incorporated as a new addition (Chapter X-A) titled “Additional safety requirements for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)” in the “Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2023.”
Besides, new definitions covering BESS, BMS (Battery Management System) and PCS (Power Conversion System) in a BESS, will be added under Chapter 1, Regulation 2 of the existing “Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2023.”
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