More than 36.4 MW of solar tenders were announced in India during the week ending September 1, 2017, up from just 5 MW of solar tenders unveiled a week earlier. The increase in small tender activity occurred despite continuing uncertainty around the ongoing anti-dumping investigation.

The largest tender was issued by the Assam Energy Development Agency’s Department of Science and Technology, which tendered 14 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar to be developed on an aggregate basis.

The Department of Science and Technology said 7 MW will be developed under RESCO and 7 MW will be developed under CAPEX mode. The scope of work includes project design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning. The bid-submission deadline is September 15, 2017.

The second-largest tender was issued by West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) for a 10 MW canal top solar project to be developed on top of the Tailrace Canal of TCFHP, Stage-II power station in Dinajpur, West Bengal. The bid-submission deadline is October 9, 2017.

The project is expected to cost ₹883.5 million (~$13.8 million) and the scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacture, procurement, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning. The successful bidder must provide a project warranty along with five years of operation and maintenance (O&M).

The WBSEDCL also tendered 3.34 MW of rooftop solar to be installed on an aggregate basis that carries a bid-submission deadline of September 21, 2017. That project will be developed on a turnkey basis and the WBSEDCL has specified that project will be for 5 kW of capacity at a single location. The scope of work includes project design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning. The successful bidder will be expected to provide five years of O&M services. The estimated project cost is ₹233.45 million (~$3.64 million).

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), tendered 6.06 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar to be developed in Mangalore, Karnataka. The bid-submission deadline is September 25, 2017. The modules to be used in rooftop solar projects must be made in India.

The scope of work for the MRPL project includes design, engineering, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning. The successful bidder will also provide O&M services for five years.

The Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), Jaipur, tendered a 2 MW grid-connected solar project with battery energy storage system (BESS) to be developed at two locations in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The bid-submission deadline is September 29, 2017.

A qualified bidder needs to set up 1 MW Solar PV with 1 MW/1 MWh (at the point of coupling) battery energy storage system in Havelock Island, and 1 MW Solar PV with 1 MW/1 MWh (at the point of coupling) BESS in Neil Island respectively. Modules shall be made in India and sourced from one of the approved suppliers of modules per the MNRE.

The scope of work includes design, engineering, procurement, supply, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of the project with associated transmission system. The successful bidder will be responsible for O&M of the project for 25 years.

Northern Railways tendered 1 MW of solar. The scope of work includes design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing & commissioning of the project with all the electrical and associated equipment, including civil works, at Amritsar Railway Station building and other structures with AMC for three years. The bid-submission deadline is September 20, 2017. The tender value is ₹64.4 million (~$1 million).

Sampath has been part of the Mercom India research and news team since the company’s inception. He currently oversees all data and research relating to news published on the MercomIndia.com platform. Sampath received his Bachelor’s of Commerce Degree from Kuvempu University and Post Graduate Diploma in Management, from Indira Gandhi National Open University. More articles from Sampath Krishna.