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					</table>The Central Electricity Authority (<a href="https://cea.nic.in/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEA</a>) has proposed technical standards applicable to electrical safety requirements for solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicle charging stations, transmission systems, and other electrical installations.
The draft specifies Indian and international standards that will apply to equipment, testing, installation, fire protection, earthing, and other safety requirements under the CEA (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Regulations, 2023, and subsequent amendments.
Stakeholders can submit comments to the Chief Engineer, Chief Electrical Inspectorate Division, by November 15, 2026.
Solar Installations
For solar installations, the CEA has identified standards covering earthing, lightning and overvoltage protection, surge protection, overcurrent protection, module safety and qualification, and fire protection.
Solar installations must comply with IS 3043, the Code of Practice for Earthing, and IS 732, the Code of Practice for Electrical Wiring Installations. Solar photovoltaic projects must also have lightning and overvoltage protection using the required number of lightning arresters in accordance with IS/IEC 62305.
The input circuits of combiner boxes must have overcurrent protection. The draft identifies IS/IEC 60269-6 for fuses used to protect solar photovoltaic energy systems and standards under the IS 16463 and IEC 61643 series for surge protection.
Solar modules must comply with standards covering module qualification and safety, potential induced degradation, performance and energy rating, ammonia corrosion, salt mist corrosion, and environmental exposure.
These include IS 14286 for photovoltaic module qualification, IS/IEC 61730 for module safety qualification, IS 17210/IEC 62804-1 for potential induced degradation testing and IS 16170/IEC 61853-1 for module performance testing and energy rating.
The draft specifies IS 16664/IEC 62716 for ammonia corrosion testing, IS/IEC 61701 for salt mist corrosion testing, and IS 9000/IEC 60068 for dust and sand testing.
Fire detection and automatic fire suppression systems at solar installations must comply with relevant standards. The CEA has identified IS 2189 for the selection, installation, and maintenance of automatic fire detection and alarm systems.
For floating solar projects, photovoltaic modules and associated structures must meet standards for salt mist and ammonia corrosion, as well as requirements concerning the tensile properties and environmental stress cracking of high density polyethylene.
Wind Energy
All grid-connected wind energy generation systems, including onshore and offshore wind turbines and wind power projects, must comply with relevant standards. Transformers used for wind turbine applications must also meet the prescribed standards.
The draft identifies IS/IEC 61400 for wind turbine safety.
Battery Energy Storage Systems
The CEA has proposed detailed standards for BESS covering cell and module testing, container-level testing, thermal runaway, fire and explosion protection, equipment location, ventilation, hazard detection, fire suppression, electrolyte spills, emergency lighting, signage, and earthing.
For battery cell and module testing, the draft lists IEC 62619 for the safety of secondary lithium cells and batteries used in industrial applications, UL 1973 for batteries used in stationary applications, and IEC 61960.
At the system and container level, standards include UL 9540 for energy storage systems and equipment, IEEE 693 for seismic design, IEEE 1547 for the interconnection of distributed energy resources, and the IEC 62933 series for electrical energy storage systems.
UL 9540A has been identified for evaluating thermal runaway fire propagation in BESS. Environmental and durability testing would refer to the IEC 60068 series, ASTM B117 for salt spray testing, and IEC 60529 for ingress protection.
Fire and explosion protection must be provided at the cell, module, container, and site-specific installation levels. The relevant standards identified include NFPA 855 for stationary energy storage system installations, UL 1973, IEC 62619, UL 9540, UL 9540A, and IS 17067 Part 5 Section 2 for safety requirements for grid-integrated electrochemical energy storage systems.
Battery containers must provide ingress protection in accordance with IEC 60529. Walk-in BESS units, including their entrances and exits, must comply with IS 17092 and UL 9540A.
Minimum separation between adjacent BESS enclosures and the nearest building for different battery chemistries, including lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, and lead-acid, must comply with NFPA 855.
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and cooling systems must provide appropriate thermal management in accordance with IS 17092, IS 17067, NFPA 90A, and NFPA 90B.
BESS installations must also have monitored hazard detection systems for smoke, gas, heat, and flame. Every battery container must have an automatic fire suppression system compliant with relevant standards, including NFPA 855, UL 9540A, and IEC 62619.
For batteries containing acidic or basic aqueous electrolytes in liquid form, spills must be contained according to IEEE 1578.
Enclosed BESS working spaces must have a separate emergency lighting source with automatic initiation. The draft identifies NFPA 101, IEC 60598-2-22, and IEC 62034 for this requirement.
BESS equipment earthing must comply with IS 17067 and IS 3043.
Other Electrical Installations
The CEA has also proposed standards for electrical wiring, protective equipment, fire extinguishers, cables, transformers, switchgear, transmission lines, substations, high-voltage installations, high-voltage direct current systems, and gas-insulated substations.
For electrical installations operating above 650 V, the CEA proposes IS 5613 and IS 732 for safety clearances and working spaces, along with IEC 61936-1 for power installations above 1 kV.
Transformers and switchgear must be maintained according to schedules prepared under relevant standards, including IS 2026 for power transformers and IS 3427 for switchgear maintenance. Transformers rated 10 MVA or above and reactors rated 10 MVAR or above must have automatic firefighting systems complying with applicable standards.
The draft also identifies standards for electric vehicle charging stations covering overload protection, lightning protection, earthing, fire detection and alarm systems, and maintenance of test certificates.
Earlier this year, the CEA <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cea-notifies-rules-on-safety-framework-for-battery-energy-storage-systems?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notified</a> the Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply) Amendment Regulations, 2026, introducing a comprehensive safety framework for battery energy storage systems, including requirements for safety audits, fire protection, monitoring, and system design.
In July, the CEA <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cea-notifies-technical-construction-standards-for-renewable-energy-projects?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notified</a> technical construction standards for renewable energy projects and battery energy storage systems, covering solar, wind, offshore wind, floating solar, and storage projects.

CEA Proposes Safety Standards for Solar, Wind and Battery Storage Projects

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					</table>The Central Electricity Authority (<a href="https://cea.nic.in/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CEA</a>) has issued draft guidelines relating to the safety and electric supply of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Stakeholders can submit their comments and suggestions by July 20, 2025.
The chargers used for battery energy storage systems must be specifically designed to match the battery chemistry. The battery system must be built with two-fault tolerance, ensuring it can either continue safe operation or shut down safely even after two separate faults occur. This protection must apply under all conditions, including overcharge, over-discharge, short circuit, and operation outside the defined temperature range.
Fire and explosion safety measures must be implemented at the cell, module, container, and site installation levels. The battery management system must monitor and record voltage, temperature, current, and thermal runaway at both cell and module levels. Visual and audio alarms must activate when any monitored parameter exceeds the range specified by the original equipment manufacturer. The system must also automatically stop charging and discharging if the temperature crosses the manufacturer’s recommended limits.
The power conversion system must support fully automatic and unattended operation, including grid synchronization, seamless connection, and disconnection from the grid. It must feature self-protection and diagnostic capabilities to safeguard against component failure or abnormal operating conditions.
Coolant lines must be routed and secured to prevent leaks near live electrical parts. Any failure in the dielectric fluid cooling system, including issues in the cooling lines, must not lead to leakage that could cause cell short circuits or create hazardous conditions inside the battery pack.
Battery Container
The battery container must be designed to be explosion-proof and equipped with a forced ventilation system along with automated louvers to safely release flammable gases and maintain internal pressure within safe limits. Ingress protection must comply with applicable standards. The walk-in arrangement of the battery energy storage system, including entry and exit points, must also adhere to the relevant standards.
Equipment Location
Battery containers must be placed at a minimum distance of 7.5 meters from the nearest exterior wall or roof overhang. If this distance cannot be maintained, large-scale fire testing must be carried out to confirm the safety of the installation. In areas where the battery energy storage system is located within a densely populated urban zone or near critical infrastructure, appropriate measures must be taken to reduce noise levels.
A minimum distance of 3 meters must be maintained between two battery containers. If this is not feasible, large-scale fire testing must be performed. In such cases, the external wall of each container must have a fire-resistance rating of at least two hours.
The Central Transmission Utility of India had earlier <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ctuil-proposes-3-acre-100-mwh-as-land-requirement-for-bess-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> that a minimum of 3 acres must be considered the benchmark for setting up a 100 MWh BESS project.
Ventilation
Each battery container must be equipped with adequate ventilation and cooling systems to prevent overheating. A suitable mechanism must be in place to control the concentration of flammable substances within the enclosure in line with the relevant Indian standards. If the mechanical ventilation system fails, the battery system must automatically shut down to ensure the concentration of flammable materials remains within safe limits.
Hazard Detection and Suppression
The battery energy storage system must be equipped with hazard detection systems capable of identifying smoke, gas, heat, and flame. These systems must be actively monitored. Any battery container with a capacity of 200 kWh or more must be fitted with an automatic water-based fire suppression system that complies with the applicable standard. All components of this fire suppression system must be protected from environmental exposure and unauthorized access while remaining easily accessible for routine inspection and maintenance.
Other measures
For batteries using acidic or basic aqueous electrolytes in liquid form, appropriate containment must be provided to manage electrolyte spills. Enclosed working areas must have a separate emergency lighting source that activates automatically, in line with the applicable standard.
Battery energy storage system installations must be enclosed with fencing of at least 1.8 meters in height to prevent unauthorized access. Surveillance systems, including CCTV, motion sensors, break-glass detectors, and alarms connected to a monitoring and response setup, must be installed at strategic locations.
If a safety issue or battery anomaly is detected, the affected part of the battery system must shut down within a pre-set time frame. Manual emergency stop mechanisms, including buttons or switches, must be installed in clearly visible and easily accessible locations.
An independent third-party fire safety audit must be carried out for each installation, as outlined in the standard operating procedure to be issued by the CEA within three months from the notification of these regulations.
The battery energy storage system owner must submit this fire safety audit report to the Electrical Inspector during the inspection process. The appropriate government must also ensure that fire safety personnel receive training tailored to address the unique fire risks associated with battery energy storage systems.
The Directorate General of Fire Safety will issue the training guidelines within three months from the notification of these regulations.
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CEA Issues Draft Safety Guidelines for Battery Energy Storage Systems

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