India’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd., is taking a step toward sustainable energy storage with the launch of the country’s first carbon dioxide (CO2) battery energy storage project. To be installed at NTPC’s Kudgi plant, the project is part of the company’s drive to support India’s renewable energy transition by ensuring reliable, long-duration storage for solar and wind power.
The 160MWh (megawatt hours) plant, developed with technology from Italian energy storage company Energy Dome and executed by Triveni Turbine Limited, is expected to help stabilise India’s grid by storing excess renewable energy and making it available on demand.
Shri Gurdeep Singh, Chairman & Managing Director of NTPC, described the project as a “landmark development in the domain of ‘Long Duration Energy Storage’ (LDES)”, highlighting its “very long lifetime (>25 year), no need of critical minerals viz Lithium, Cobalt, topography agnostic, minimal performance degradation – unlike BESS where intricate electrochemistry is involved, very high depth of discharge (100%)” as key advantages over traditional battery storage.
Rendering of Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery at nighttime. ©NTPC
“With several advantages… successful demonstration of this technology shall open new vistas in the field of ‘Electrical Energy Storage,’” he added.
India has set ambitious renewable energy targets, aiming for 500GW (gigawatts) of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. However, one of the biggest challenges in scaling up wind and solar power is intermittency – the fact that the sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow.
That’s where CO2 battery storage comes in. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time and rely on imported critical minerals, CO2 batteries offer a long-lasting, cost-effective and scalable solution for storing renewable energy.
According to Claudio Spadacini, Founder & CEO of Energy Dome, “The best projects are those that create win-win opportunities. Our collaboration with Triveni Turbines and NTPC to deploy the CO2 Battery achieves this by advancing NTPC’s decarbonisation goals and round-the-clock (RTC) power delivery while strengthening India’s local supply chain through domestic sourcing.”
What is a CO2 battery?
Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, which store energy chemically, a CO2 battery works by compressing and liquefying CO2 when energy is plentiful (charging phase) and expanding it back into gas to drive a turbine when energy is needed (discharging phase).
This closed-loop system makes CO2 batteries highly durable and completely emission-free, as the CO2 is continuously recycled without being released into the atmosphere.
Key benefits include:
- Long lifespan (>25 years)
- No rare or toxic materials (no lithium, cobalt, or nickel)
- Scalability – ideal for large-scale energy storage
- Minimal degradation – unlike lithium-ion batteries, which lose efficiency over time
India’s growing focus on energy storage
NTPC’s push into long-duration energy storage is part of its broader diversification strategy, supporting government initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).
Dhruv M. Sawhney, Chairman & Managing Director of Triveni Turbines, said that the project aligns with India’s energy transition goals by ensuring renewable energy can be stored efficiently and dispatched when needed.
“We are delighted to win this landmark order from NTPC that aims to accelerate India’s energy transition efforts by making renewable energy (RE) dispatchable. It is a testament to our expertise in designing and developing innovative, energy-efficient solutions addressing our customers’ demands,” he added.
