The Ministry of Heavy Industries is administering the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme namely “National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage,” approved in May 2021 with a total outlay of ₹18,100 crore to establish 50 GWh of domestic Advanced Chemistry Cell manufacturing capacity.

A total capacity of 40 GWh has been awarded to four beneficiary firms. Till date, no beneficiary firm has claimed any incentive under the PLI ACC scheme, and beneficiary-wise details of the capacity awarded and the actual capacity installed are as under:

Sl. No.	Beneficiary firms under PLI ACC Scheme	Capacity Awarded (in GWh)	Capacity Installed (in GWh)
1.	ACC Energy Storage Pvt. Ltd.	5	0
2.	Ola Cell Technologies Pvt. Ltd.	20	1
3.	Reliance New Energy Battery Storage Ltd.	5	0
4.	Reliance New Energy Battery Ltd.	10	0
	TOTAL	40	1

 

The challenges faced by domestic manufacturers in competing with imported batteries are as under:

1. Unavailability of technology.
2. Skilled manpower gap.
3. Import of critical equipment & machineries.
4. Non-availability of upstream components.

 

As per the information received from M/o Mines, M/o Mines has undertaken several measures, which inter alia include:

1. Union Cabinet approved the establishment of National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) on 29th January, 2025, with a financial outlay of ₹16,300 crore from FY 2024-25 to 2030-31. The NCMM aims to secure India's critical mineral supply chain and to strengthen all stages of the value chain, including mineral exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing and recovery from end-of-life products.
2. Geological Survey of India (GSI) intensified exploration of critical and strategic minerals. GSI carried out 195 critical mineral exploration projects in 2024–25, and 230 projects in 2025–26 across the country. Additionally, National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust (NMEDT) has sanctioned 62 projects for exploration of critical minerals during 2024-25 and 36 projects during 2025-26.
3. The Mines and Mineral Development Act (MMDR), 1957 Act amended to expand the scope of NMEDT for supporting critical mineral exploration and mining overseas.
4. M/o Mines has successfully auctioned 34 blocks of critical minerals.
5. M/o Mines has successfully auctioned 7 blocks of Exploration License, out of which, three are of critical minerals.
6. The Union Cabinet approved a ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme to develop recycling capacity for the separation and production of critical minerals from secondary sources.  The Scheme Guidelines were issued by M/o Mines on 02.10.2025 and scheme rolled out.
7. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) has acquired five lithium brine blocks, in the Catamarca province of Argentina for exploration and development.

The PLI ACC scheme is technologically agnostic, which ensures that superior technologies receive higher incentives. The scheme is designed to attract substantial investments, promote research and development, and reduce dependency on imports for ACCs. Further, under the scheme, expenditures incurred by beneficiary firms on Research and Development are permitted to meet investment criteria, allowing them to integrate the latest technology in the implementation of their projects.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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 TPJ/NJ

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