Two amendments, one date
In 2026 the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) notified two amendments that together set out how battery storage must be built and kept safe in India. Both take effect on 1 April 2027: the Safety and Electric Supply Amendment (gazette 30 March 2026) and the Construction Technical Standards Amendment (gazette 23 June 2026).
| Amendment | Gazette | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| CEA (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Amendment Regulations 2026 | 30 March 2026 | A battery storage chapter (regulations 122A–122N): how a BESS is protected and kept safe |
| Technical Standards for Construction of Electrical Plants and Electric Lines (Amendment) Regulations 2026 | 23 June 2026 | Part C: the equipment, performance and control requirements for a BESS |
The construction standards set out what must be built; the safety chapter, how it must be kept safe. Read together, they turn good practice into rules an Electrical Inspector can check.
What the safety chapter requires
The safety chapter, regulations 122A to 122N, sets out protection in layers. In everyday terms:
- Prevention. A power conversion system (PCS) designed for the battery chemistry; a battery management system (BMS) monitoring voltage and temperature at cell, module and rack level; and a two-fault-tolerant design that stays safe, or shuts down safely, after two independent faults.
- Detection. Smoke, gas, heat and flame detection, plus door and ventilation alarms, all monitored.
- Suppression. An automatic fire-suppression system in every battery container.
- Explosion control. Forced ventilation with automated louvres, and automatic shutdown if ventilation fails.
- Separation and security. Spacing between enclosures and from buildings; fencing at least 1.8 m high; CCTV and intrusion alarms.
- Response. Manual and automatic emergency stops.
- Around the battery. Coolant lines routed away from live parts; emergency lighting and signage; earthing.
- Beyond the fence. Training of fire officials for battery risks, arranged by the state.
The CEA's Safety Amendment Regulations 2026 add a battery energy storage chapter (regulations 122A–122N), in force from 1 April 2027: layered protection from the cell to the site fence, and an independent third-party fire-safety audit with the report produced to the Electrical Inspector.
Who it applies to
The detailed requirements apply to BESS connected above 650 V. Systems at 650 V and below must comply with 'relevant standards', and the CEA is to publish a list of those standards within three months of commencement. Many commercial cabinets connect at low voltage, but we design them to the same layered approach anyway.
The chapter adds to the approvals you already need; it does not replace them. Before switch-on, the Electrical Inspectorate (EI/CEIG) still inspects installations above the voltage your state has notified.
Installations above the voltage notified by the state are inspected by the Electrical Inspector before they are energised; those at or below it are self-certified.
What the construction standards add
The construction standards turn “a good battery” into figures a buyer can check:
- Minimum performance guarantees of 90%, 80% and 70% of output at 5, 10 and 15 years.
- Depth of discharge of at least 80%.
- AC-to-AC round-trip efficiency, including auxiliaries, of at least 70%.
- PCS efficiency of at least 95%.
- An RFID tag on every module recording its origin and test data.
- A BMS at module, rack and container level.
- An energy management system (EMS) that accepts set-points over IEC 60870-5-104, Modbus TCP or IEC 61850.
They also keep protection channels separate from SCADA and monitoring, and they recognise behind-the-meter use: charging when power is cheap and discharging at peak demand to cut costs for the user.
The CEA's Construction Standards Amendment 2026 (Part C) sets minimum performance, efficiency, traceability and control requirements for BESS, in force from 1 April 2027.
These are minimums. Ask how each figure is measured and how the warranty covers it, not only whether it is met. For what depth of discharge and round-trip efficiency mean in practice, see kW vs kWh.
The fire-safety audit
An independent third-party fire-safety audit is required under a procedure the CEA is to issue. The regulation sets a three-month window from commencement, and the report must be produced to the Electrical Inspector at inspection. As of September 2026 the CEA had not issued the final procedure, so we'll confirm the timing that applies to your system once it is out.
What it means for buyers
- Ask for the compliance matrix: every clause of both amendments, set against the drawing, test report or document that meets it.
- Check that the UL 9540A data matches the layout. The test shows how a fire spreads; spacing and suppression should follow what it found.
- Plan audit readiness: drawings, test reports, BMS records and the emergency plan kept in one place for the auditor and the Electrical Inspector.
- Budget for suppression in every container, and for detection, ventilation and fencing, from the first estimate.
If you already run a battery, a review against the new chapter shows where it stands and what to change before inspection. See safety in layers and how safety connects across the site.