RAS question
India's largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project inaugurated in September 2025 is located in which district of Rajasthan?
Correct answer: (C) Bikaner.
In September 2025, the foundation stone for Avaada Group's 2,500 MWh project—India's largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)—was laid in Rajasthan's Bikaner district; the project is integrated with a 1,560 MWp solar plant.
Explanation
Avaada Group's 2,500 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project is integrated with a 1,560 MWp solar plant in Bikaner district, Rajasthan. On 25 September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for this solar-plus-storage project at Pugal. On the same occasion, he inaugurated Avaada's separate 282 MWp solar project at Shri Dungargarh, Bikaner; that inauguration should not be confused with the foundation-stone ceremony for the 2,500 MWh project. The combined investment in Rajasthan exceeds Rs 9,200 crore, and the 2,500 MWh project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 lakh tonnes annually. These details make Bikaner the correct district and connect the project with Rajasthan's renewable-energy and energy-storage policy.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Jaisalmer is a major solar-energy district, but Avaada's 1,560 MWp solar-plus-2,500 MWh BESS project is linked to Bikaner, not Jaisalmer.
- (B) Jodhpur is incorrect because Avaada's 1,560 MWp solar-plus-2,500 MWh BESS project is located in Bikaner district.
- (D) Barmer is another western Rajasthan district, but Avaada's BESS project is tied to Bikaner rather than Barmer.
Concept
In RAS current affairs, renewable energy, solar capacity and energy-storage infrastructure are important. Identifying where major clean-energy projects are located links Rajasthan's geography with its economy and environmental policy.