The Electricity Department of the Andaman & Nicobar administration has issued an empanelment tender to develop 5 MW of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. The bid submission deadline is June 21, 2019.

The rooftop solar PV projects will be of capacity between 1-50 kW at a single location. The scope of work includes the design, supply, installation, commissioning, free warranty and comprehensive maintenance for five years from the date of commissioning of the grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects with hybrid inverter and battery storage system with two days backup. Beyond five years, the maintenance charges will be levied on a case-to-case basis.

Any empaneled bidder will have to open a minimum of one service center in Port Blair to be eligible for the tender. Additional service centers will be opened in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and different districts based on the installations carried out by them.

The electricity department has mandated that solar modules used in these projects must adhere to the latest edition of IEC PV module qualification test or equivalent BIS standards Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Modules IEC 61215/IS14286.

Also, the modules must conform to IEC 61730 Part-2- requirements for construction and Part 2 – requirements for testing, for safety qualification or equivalent International Standards (IS).

The grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects need to be warranted for five years after the date of commissioning in the case of manufacturing, operation failure, or non-performance.

The validity of empanelment and the price accepted will be valid for one year from the date of empanelment and can be extended with mutual consent.

The electricity department will retain 5% of the cost of each grid-connected rooftop solar PV project as the security deposit. This security deposit will be released only after the successful completion of the five years warranty and maintenance period.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL), a public-sector enterprise operating in the electronics, information technology, and renewable energy segment, recently issued a tender to set up 1.7 MW of solar photovoltaic projects with battery energy storage system in Andaman and Nicobar islands.

In November 2018, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had extended the implementation timeline of distributed grid-connected solar power projects in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands. To facilitate completion of projects on time, the deadline had been extended from the earlier 2016-17 to 2019-20 currently.