MSEDCL Issues Tender for 1 GW Solar Projects in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has issued a tender for 1,000 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects. Under this the Phase-II of the project, MSEDCL will look to purchase the power from solar projects on a long-term basis.

The discom has set the ceiling tariff at ₹2.80/kWh and will enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the selected bidder for a period of 25 years. The last date for the bid submission is January 3, 2019, followed by the opening of technical bids. The earnest money deposit (EMD) for the projects is ₹6 lakh/MW and the financial bid opening will only be informed to eligible bidders. To be eligible to bid, the net-worth of the bidder for the financial year that ended on March 31, 2018, should not be less than ₹55 lakhs.

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The minimum capacity for the intra-state solar project is 5 MW at a single location with the minimum bid capacity of 5 MW for projects that are outside a solar park. In the case of inter-state projects, the minimum project capacity will be 50 MW at a single location with the minimum bid capacity limited at 50 MW. As per the tender guidelines, each bidder will only be permitted to enter one bid and it will be the bidder’s responsibility to get the required grid connectivity for the projects.

Moreover, projects that are under construction, or not yet commissioned, and projects that are commissioned but do not have a long-term PPA and are selling power only on short-term basis, will be considered for this tender in case these projects are not already accepted under any other central or state schemes and do not have any obligations towards existing buyers. Foreign companies can also participate and those participating in the bidding process will be registered as companies as per the rules of their country of origin.

Last month, The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) tendered for 1.2 GW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed near the NTPC switchyards in the western region of Maharashtra.

On 23 November, the Maharashtra government passed a resolution to promote a clean environment inside its tiger reserves, deciding to use only Electric Vehicles to ply tourists in the tiger reserves of the state. The Tadoba-Andheri Tiger reserve is currently the only one such park which is using such a vehicle.