The Ajmer Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (AVVNL) has floated a tender for the solarization of 5,874 pumps distributed on 92 selected feeders in the Ajmer distribution company to aid the solarization of grid-connected agricultural consumers.

The scope of work includes the design, survey, supply, installation, testing, commissioning of the solar systems. It also requires bidders to provide comprehensive maintenance for five years.

The last date for the submission of bids is March 4, 2020. The project is estimated to cost ₹1.39 billion (~$19.37 million) and is expected to be completed within nine months from the date of issue of the letter of intent (LoI).

Bidders are expected to pay a bid security amount of 2% of the estimated cost of the lot. If an applicant quotes for more than one lot, the bid security will be calculated based on the cumulative cost of the lots.

The project comes under the scope of Component-C of the Government of India’s Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Uttan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) program. The program component aims to achieve the solarization of one million grid-connected agricultural water pumps up to 7.5 horsepower (HP). While the component-B of the program has a goal of installing 1.75 million standalone solar pumps for agriculture.

To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have experience of supplying, installing, and maintaining grid-connected or off-grid solar systems of 5 kW capacity and in the last five years

They must have had a positive net worth and a minimum annual turnover greater than 50% of the estimated cost of the chosen lot in each of the last three financial years.

Recently, Mercom reported that the Jaipur DISCOM also floated a tender for solarizing 6,367 grid-connected water pumps under Component-C of the government’s KUSUM Program. The estimated cost of the project was ₹2.45 billion (~$34.2 million).

Last year, Rajasthan issued a draft order to determine pre-fixed levelized tariff and the rate of purchase of excess electricity by the distribution companies under the government’s KUSUM program that aims to solarize India’s agriculture. The draft order states that after the successful implementation of the pilot project under component-A and component-C, it will be scaled up with necessary modifications with the central government’s assistance of ₹153 billion (~$2.12 billion).

Image credit: JREDA