PNC Infratech Clinches 300-MW Solar, 150-MW Storage in NHPC Auction

• Indian builder PNC Infratech wins 300 MW solar and 150 MW/600 MWh storage at INR 3.13 kWh in NHPC’s latest reverse auction, sealing a 25-year PPA.

PNC Infratech, best known for highways and toll bridges, has steered decisively into clean-energy territory. On 15 July the Delhi-based developer emerged among the lowest bidders in NHPC’s latest mega-tender, bagging 300 MW of grid-connected solar power and 150 MW/600 MWh of battery storage at a tariff of INR 3.13 (USD 0.036) per kWh. The auction, designed to secure 1,200 MW of photovoltaic capacity and 2.4 GWh of storage, drew fierce competition from some of India’s biggest infrastructure names.

For PNC the win unlocks a 25-year power-purchase agreement and a two-year construction clock. Once the contract is inked, the company must deliver first electrons within 24 months, an aggressive schedule that will test both supply-chain resilience and grid-integration planning. The solar and storage blocks will sit on the Inter-State Transmission System, giving the project unrestricted access to demand centres far from its yet-to-be-named site.

NHPC, historically a hydropower specialist, has become an unlikely catalyst for large-scale hybrids as India races toward 500 GW of non-fossil generation by 2030. Analysts say coupling batteries with solar is no longer a nice-to-have but a prerequisite for winning utility contracts; round-the-clock delivery and peak-shaving capabilities command premium valuations in states grappling with evening demand spikes.

Competition in the reverse auction was tight. Reliance Infrastructure topped the table with 390 MW of awards, while SAEL Industries matched PNC’s solar tally at 300 MW. JBM Renewables took home 150 MW, and Navayuga Engineering Company secured the remaining 60 MW. All bidders accepted the same ceiling tariff, highlighting shrinking margins and the industry’s confidence that component prices will keep falling.

The victory also signals a strategic pivot for PNC Infratech. Until now the firm’s renewable exposure consisted of a single 50 MW solar plant in Uttar Pradesh. Executing a project six times larger—plus a first-of-its-kind storage system—should position the company for India’s next round of hybrid procurements, where tenders are expected to bundle wind, solar and batteries in ever-larger blocks.

If PNC hits its commissioning deadline, the asset will begin delivering clean power before mid-2027, adding momentum to India’s sprawling but uneven energy transition and sharpening the utility world’s appetite for fully dispatchable green electrons.