The Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APSPDCL) and Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APEPDCL), jointly referred as APDISCOMs, have issued Request for Selection (RfS) to procure 600 MW (with supply of 8.64 MU per day) of power from wind-solar hybrid projects with energy storage technologies.

APDISCOMs will enter into power purchase agreement (PPA) with the supplier for a period of 25 years.

The last date for the submission of bids is March 18, 2019. The techno-commercial bid will open on the same date. The financial bids will open on March 25, 2019.

The minimum bid capacity is 200 MW while the maximum has been set at 600 MW. No separate central financial assistance will be given for the implementation of the projects selected under this RfS.

The minimum project size of a single hybrid power project will be 50 MW to be interconnected at a single delivery point.

The net-worth of the bidder should not be less than ₹20 million (~$0.28 million) per MW of the offered capacity at the end of the last financial year.

Developers of wind or solar power projects who have installed a wind or solar power project of minimum capacity of 25 MW at one location can bid for the project.

This RfS has come after the Andhra Pradesh government recently issued its Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Policy-2018 to encourage energy generation from wind and solar hybrid projects in the state. The state government has set a target to achieve 18,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by the financial year 2021-22, which is 10 percent of the national target.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Andhra Pradesh has installed solar PV capacity of ~2.75 GW and a project pipeline of 1.9 GW.

Other states such as Maharashtra and Gujrat have also taken steps to encourage energy generation from wind and solar hybrid projects. Maharashtra has identified 277.32 hectares of land for the development of these wind-solar hybrid projects. Whereas, Gujarat has modified its land laws relating to the development of wind and hybrid (wind and solar) parks in the state and earmarked space in Kutch region which has high wind energy potential.