Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), a government undertaking, has floated a tender for the supply of 286,000 multicrystalline solar photovoltaic (PV) cells.

BHEL noted that interested bidders need not submit an earnest money deposit (EMD) to participate in the tender. Delivery is to be made within 30 days from the date BHEL issues the material dispatch clearance certificate. The last date for submitting the bids is December 12, 2020.

The cells must be 157×157 ± 1.0mm in dimensions and 220 microns thick ± 20 microns. BHEL specified multiple wattages for the cells ranging between 4.52W and 4.82W. They must be five bus bars long.

The cells should be free of visual defects, chipping, cracks, printing defects, misalignments, finger knots, grid line interruptions, fingerprint interruptions, paste smudges, or stains on either surface. They must have a homogenous silicon nitride coating without any color variations. The bus line silver must not be tarnished or oxidized.

All the cells must be vacuum packed with a heat-shrinkable sleeve or polythene or polypropylene sachets with not more than 125 cells per sachet. They must be packed in a manner that would prevent damage during transit.

To be eligible to participate in the tender, bidders must have had an average annual turnover of ₹4.35 million (~$58,830) in the last three financial years.

Vendors must have a minimum in-house crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing capacity of 60 MW per year. They must have previously supplied PV cells to reputed module manufacturers who have been certified by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). They must also have previously supplied four million pieces of M2-sized multicrystalline cells to Indian module makers outside the vendors’ country of origin.

In June, BHEL invited bids to manufacture and supply 12 million units of solar cells. Both international and domestic manufacturers are allowed to bid against this tender. Foreign vendors need to supply the first 4 million solar cells by air and the next 8 million by sea.

BHEL had also invited bids to manufacture and supply 12 million units of 156.75 mm multicrystalline solar cells with five busbars and 4.62W in February.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, BHEL has floated tenders for 24,322,000 solar photovoltaic cells as of November 2020.