ISA Calls for Solar Project Bids While NTPC Seeks Endorsement

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has invited bids from companies interested in developing solar power projects in its member nations to submit bids. The move follows after ISA received a request from NTPC for being endorsed as a rooftop solar project developer/consultant in ISA’s member countries.

Before formalizing this endorsement, the ISA has sought bids under a Swiss Challenge (single bid to offer a cheaper but comparable good or service) method from companies around the world. According to the ISA bid invitation, government or public sector companies in member nations with international project execution/consultancy experience and owing over 250 MW of solar capacity are eligible to submit bids. They are required to respond with proposals that are better than that submitted by NTPC.

The last date to submit proposals mentioning activities and services to ISA member countries is June 22, 2019.

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In April, NTPC had submitted a request to ISA for endorsing it to ISA member nations for development of solar PV projects including rooftop solar capacity. NTPC wants to be a retainer project management consultant of ISA or host country for such projects. This was in response to ISA’s call for expression of interest for rooftop solar and demand aggregation of 1 GW of rooftop capacity.

“Upon endorsement by ISA, NTPC jointly with ISA, will approach the Ambassadors/High Commissioners of participating countries and can offer consultancy project of not less than 100 kWp capacity at single location on government/public buildings,” the NTPC proposal says. The company said that it has been providing its consultancy services in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka among others.

As consultancy service fee from RESCO developers, NTPC has proposed to charge 10% for a cluster of 1 MW to 1.5 MW projects, 9% for projects of more than 1.5 MW and up to 5 MW, 7.5% for projects in the range of 5 MW and 50 MW and 6% for more than 50 MW capacity.

ISA said it will charge 1% of the project cost, uniformly across all sizes of the project towards capacity building/promotion of solar in respective county.

Indian government owned NTPC has more than 55 GW of installed power generation capacity, comprising 870 MW of solar power capacity. The utility has a target to achieve 30 GW of PV generation capacity by 2030, according to the company’s request of endorsement to the ISA.

NTPC has been eyeing nearly 1,000 MW of solar power projects in Africa through the International Solar Alliance. This push for overseas projects is in line with the NTPC’s strategy to gain from the $1-million contribution it made to the ISA fund corpus last year.