Assam Power Distribution Company (APDCL) has issued a request for selection (RfS) to procure 50 MW of power from a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic project for a period of 25 years.

The solar power developer will have to install the project in Sitalmari Village under Borsola Revenue Circle, Dhekiajuli, Assam, under the “Build-Own-Operate” model.

The developer will also be responsible for power evacuation from the project to the nearest substation/delivery point.

The last date for the submission of bids is March 9, 2023. Bids will open on the following day.

Bidders will have to submit an earnest money deposit of ₹40.3 million (~$486,288).

The successful bidder must furnish an amount of ₹100.8 million (~$1.2 million) as a performance bank guarantee.

The selected developers will be required to sign the power purchase agreement (PPA) with APDCL.

In the price bid, the bidder must quote the “Initial Quoted Tariff,” which cannot be more than ₹4 (~$0.04)/kWh.

The project should be commissioned within 18 months from the execution of the PPA.

The developer will be allowed to part-commission the project. However, the scheduled commercial operation date will remain the same.

The declared Capacity Utilization Factor must, in no case, be less than 16.21% over a year.

Bidders will be responsible for identifying suitable substation/grid substation and carrying out any evacuation assessment study, at their own cost, with respect to the project’s connectivity to the grid substation.

A bidder can participate either as a single bidder or as a consortium.

In the case of a single bidder, it may, at its own discretion, form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to execute the PPA. However, in the case of a consortium or a foreign bidder, it is mandatory to incorporate an SPV.

The bidder or its affiliates should have designed, supplied, erected, or supervised the erection and commissioning of a solar photovoltaic grid-connected power project of cumulative installed capacity of 15 MW anywhere in the world during the last five years before the bid submission deadline.

Out of this, at least one project should be grid-connected to 5 MW capacity or above.

Bidders should have a minimum net worth of ₹403.1 million (~$4.8 million) as of the last day of the preceding two financial years.

Recently, APDCL invited bids from solar power developers to set up 10 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects under Phase II of the Central Public Sector Undertaking program.

In November 2022, APDCL invited bids from consultants to prepare a detailed project report for a 1 GW grid-connected solar project in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam.