The Ministry of Power allowed states to implement standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) projects under viability gap funding, supported by the Power System Development Fund, in both two-hour and four-hour configurations. The original guidelines specified that the BESS capacity should preferably have a two-hour discharge duration and average one and a half cycles per 24-hour period. The amended guidelines, however, clarified that states can retain the right to utilize at least 6,300 cycles of BESS operation during the contract term. The Ministry permitted deviation from the guidelines in response to requests from Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Kerala.