SECI Invites Bid for 160MW Hybrid Project in Andhra Pradesh

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), on 14 August, launched a request for bids (RfB) for 160MW hybrid solar and wind project combined with battery energy storage in the state of Andhra Pradesh on 20 August.

The tender for the hybrid project at Ramagiri, Anantapur District has been on the cards for some time after SECI issued an Expression of Interest (EOI), back in January.

This project could become the largest and amongst the first of its kind built in India, when completed. The contract will be for design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of the hybrid plant, including 10 years of operations and maintenance (O&M) services. The contract will be awarded through the international competitive bidding.

SECI reportedly has applied for financing from the World Bank to go towards the cost of the project.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on 31 August and the deadline for bid submissions will be 1 October.

In March, power minister R.K. Singh called on battery-based energy storage manufacturers to set up manufacturing units in India, particularly given the new focus on hybrid projects through the government’s recently finalised National Wind-Solar Hybrid policy, under which all forms of energy storage are eligible to be included in projects.

The Hybrid projects seeks to solve one of the major drawbacks of both wind and solar farms. Both the installations produce power only during certain intervals—when the sun shines during the day, or when there are strong enough winds, typically during the evening. A hybrid project reduces this variation by storing power, besides power can be generated from a plant nearly round the clock. Hybrid plants also allow power producers to tap into multiple energy sources simultaneously.

Since, India’s transmission infrastructure is currently insufficient to handle the increase in clean energy capacity, and hybrid projects can help use existing grids efficiently.