NTPC Kudgi CO2 Battery

Executive Overview

The NTPC Kudgi CO₂ Battery is a 20 MW / 160 MWh long-duration energy storage project under development at NTPC's Kudgi Super Thermal Power Plant in Bijapur District, Karnataka, India — the first commercial deployment of Energy Dome's CO₂ battery technology in Asia. Announced on January 30, 2025, the project is a collaboration between NTPC's R&D division NETRA, Energy Dome (Italy), and Triveni Turbine (India). The system uses a closed Brayton thermodynamic cycle with anhydrous CO₂ as the process fluid, storing energy by liquefying CO₂ during charging and releasing it by evaporation through a turbine during discharge. NTPC, which is responsible for approximately 25% of India's total power generation, launched a competitive tender in October 2024 requiring technology providers to have at least one commissioned project of 1 MW / 1 MWh in operation; Energy Dome's Ottana Sardinia plant satisfied that criterion.

How It Works & Differentiation

The CO₂ battery operates on the same principle as the Ottana commercial plant: surplus electricity compresses and liquefies ambient CO₂, storing it in insulated pressure vessels; during discharge, liquid CO₂ is evaporated and expanded through a turbine to generate electricity at approximately 75% round-trip efficiency. The 8-hour discharge duration (20 MW for 8 hours = 160 MWh) positions the system between short-duration lithium-ion and multi-day iron-air storage. The system has a projected lifetime exceeding 25 years with no performance degradation, 100% depth of discharge capability, no dependence on critical minerals such as lithium or cobalt, and is topography-agnostic — not requiring specific geographic features as pumped hydro does. All components are sourced from standard industrial oil and gas supply chains. The Indian-manufactured components from Triveni Turbine align with India's 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' self-reliance strategies.

Commercialization & Traction

NTPC's award to Energy Dome following a competitive tender is the first state-utility procurement of CO₂ battery technology globally, providing a credible public-sector commercial anchor for the platform in one of the world's largest power markets. The Kudgi project is mechanically identical to Energy Dome's 200 MWh Sardinia project and the Alliant Energy Wisconsin project, meaning the Indian deployment draws directly on established design and procurement packages. India's target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 creates structural demand for grid-scale storage at a scale that requires alternatives to lithium-ion, and the Kudgi project positions Energy Dome's technology within that procurement pipeline.

Scalability & Strategic Context

India is the world's third-largest electricity consumer with rapid growth in solar and wind deployment creating increasing need for dispatchable storage. The Kudgi project's success would provide the first Asian operational reference for the CO₂ battery platform, supporting subsequent procurement by NTPC's subsidiaries and by other Indian utilities. NTPC's involvement as developer, offtaker, and technology consortium member — rather than purely as offtaker — suggests a deeper interest in the technology than a simple procurement, and the NETRA R&D partnership positions the Kudgi plant as a platform for ongoing optimisation and localisation of the technology for Indian conditions.