Indian battery developer Reliance NU BESS barred from tenders for three years over fake documents

The Reliance NU BESS unit of Indian conglomerate Reliance Group has been disbarred from participating from government tenders for three years after submitting what SECI described as “fake” financial documents as part of a SECI battery energy storage tender.

Indian media have reported, on Nov. 6, 2024, SECI has disbarred Reliance NU BESS, which had bid for a slice of a tender for 1 GW/2 GWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS), under the company’s former name, Maharashtra Energy Generation Ltd.

Discovery of the problem halted the national tender.

“Upon the examination of documents submitted by Maharashtra Energy Generation Ltd (the “bidder”), now known as Reliance NU BESS Ltd, under the above RfS [request for solution], it was discovered that, as per the tender requirements, the endorsement of the bank guarantee against earnest money deposit (issued by a foreign bank), as submitted by the bidder, was fake,” said SECI, in a notice issued on Nov. 6. “Since the above discrepancy was discovered subsequent to the e-reverse auction, SECI was constrained to annul the tendering process.”

SECI said Reliance NU BESS had met the financial qualification requirements of the tender by using the strength of its parent company, Reliance Power Ltd. Upon detailed examination of the matter, SECI concluded that all the commercial and strategic decisions undertaken by the bidder were fundamentally driven by the parent company.

From pv magazine India.