The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has extended the bid-submission deadline for 1,200 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected wind and solar hybrid projects tender for the fifth time.

According to a Mercom source, there were very few responses, due to which SECI extended the bid-submission deadline yet again.

A SECI official also confirmed the extension of the deadline to Mercom.

This is the fifth extension to this hybrid tender. Prior to this, the dates had been shifted from August 8 to September 7, then to September 20 after which it was extended to October 5 and later to October 26, 2018. The new bid-submission deadline is November 14, 2018.

SECI had initially tendered 2,500 MW of ISTS-connected wind-solar hybrid power projects (tranche-I). Later, the capacity of ISTS-connected wind-solar hybrid power project was reduced to 1,200 MW and the ceiling tariff was reduced from ₹2.93/kWh (~$0.040/kWh) to ₹2.60/kWh (~$0.035/kWh). The maximum bid capacity has been increased from 500 MW to 600 MW. The minimum bid capacity remains the same at 200 MW with at least 50 MW of project capacity being proposed at each project site. Earlier, the scheduled date of commissioning was 18 months from the date of issuance of letter of award. This has been amended and now the scheduled date of commissioning would be 18 months from the effective date of the PPA. Financial closure must be achieved within 12 months of PPA.

This is not the first hybrid solar and wind tender by SECI that has failed to garner a lot of attention from the developers. Recently,  SECI also extended the bid submission deadline for 160 MW of solar-wind hybrid power project with battery energy storage system (BESS) at Ramagiri, located in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The new bid submission deadline is November 2, 2018. This was the second bid extension for this tender. Earlier, it was revised from October 1, 2018 to October 10, 2018.

Earlier, Mercom had reported about the MNRE’s new wind solar hybrid policy which aims at providing a framework for the expansion of grid-connected wind-solar PV hybrid systems in the country.

Mercom also reported previously that the MNRE has now amended the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy to remove the word ‘battery’ from the relevant clauses in order to broaden the definition of the term “storage” and facilitate the growth of the sector.

The article has been updated with confirmation from SECI