Malawi energy minister visits Delhi's Kilokari battery storage site

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Malawi's Energy Minister Ibrahim Matola on Tuesday visited the Kilokari Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project site in Delhi, the "largest" in South Asia, to explore the potential of installing a similar system back home.

The Malawi delegation also visited the India office of Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) ahead of their Kilokari project visit in South Delhi, a statement said.

"Through our visit, we intend to identify best practices for urban energy reforms, storage deployment, and clean energy adoption," Matola said, adding that his visit is aimed at replicating such efforts in Malawi.

He emphasised that both India and Malawi are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable transition.

"Radical collaboration is the solution. Given the diverse needs of countries across the Global South, there is an urgent need for tailored climate mitigation strategies and coordinated South-South action," Matola said.

Maxwell Mulimakwenda, Chief Operating Officer of the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi, said India's progress in the clean energy sector offered valuable insights for Malawi.

Both India and Malawi are part of the BESS Consortium launched by the GEAPP Leadership Council.

Countries in the Global South must come together to achieve their development goals while building a sustainable future, he said.

The Kilokari BESS pilot project in Delhi, a collaboration between BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), IndiGrid, AmpereHour Energy, and GEAPP, is India's first commercial, utility-scale, standalone battery energy storage system, the statement said.

A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) stores electricity for later use, helping balance supply and demand, especially with renewable energy.

Delhi is now home to India's first commercial standalone BESS project, also the largest in South Asia. PTI SGV SHW