The Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) has invited bids to design, supply, install, and commission solar projects of an aggregate capacity of 1.024 MW for various agricultural feeders along with the associated 11 kV line and the remote monitoring system under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model.

The projects will be developed under Component C of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) program.

Under Component C of the KUSUM program, the government has revised the target to install 1.5 million grid-connected agricultural pumps from 1 million.

The successful bidder will also have to take care of the operations and maintenance activity of the project for 25 years.

The last date to submit the bids online is January 4, 2021. Bids will be opened on January 11.

The successful bidder must furnish ₹500,000 (~$6,605)/MW within 30 days from the issue of the letter of award.

The project must be commissioned within nine months from signing the power purchase agreement (PPA).

The list of feeders to be solarized under the program is given below:

As per MNRE guidelines, the requirement of total annual power for an agriculture feeder is to be assessed, and a solar project of capacity that can cater to the requirement can be installed either through the capital expenditure (CAPEX) model or RESCO model.

The solar power project for the solarization of agricultural feeders will preferably be installed within a 5km radius of the substations to avoid the high cost of sub-transmission lines and reduce transmission losses.

The successful bidder will receive central financial assistance (CFA) of ₹10.5 million (~$138,711)/MW (subject to installation and commissioning of the project in line with MNRE requirement and submission of the bank guarantee of equivalent value by the selected bidder).

It will be mandatory for developers to use indigenously manufactured solar panels and cells.

The bidder should have an electrical contractor licensee in Gujarat. The bidder should have experience in executing, supplying, installing, and commissioning grid-connected solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 100 kW or more during the last five years with any government or private organization in India.

The bidder should have a positive net worth in each of the last three financial years. The bidder should have a minimum average annual turnover of at least ₹10.8 million (~$142,674) in the last three financial years.

Last December, MNRE had decided to include feeder level solarization under Component-C of the PM-KUSUM program.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, tenders for 75.4 MW of grid-connected agriculture pumps have been floated under Component C of the KSUSM program in Gujarat.