The Ministry of Power has approved transmission works to evacuate a cumulative 2,500 MW of renewable energy in Madhya Pradesh. On the recommendations of the 24th meeting of the National Committee on Transmission, the Ministry announced a 1,000 MW and 1,500 MW transmission system to evacuate power from renewable energy projects in the Neemuch Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) (Phase II) and Rajgarh SEZ in Madhya Pradesh (Phase III) respectively. REC Power Development and Consultancy has been selected as the bid process coordinator (BPC) for Rajgarh SEZ in Madhya Pradesh (Phase III) and PFC Consulting has been chosen as the BPC for the Neemuch SEZ.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued an order setting the additional surcharge for open access consumers at ₹0.54 (~$0.0063)/kWh, effective from December 12, 2024, until March 31, 2025. The additional surcharge is applicable to open access power consumers purchasing power through third party sale and power exchanges. The additional surcharge applicable to such consumers from April 1, 2024, to August 7, 2024, was ₹0.34 (~$0.0039)/kWh and ₹0.29 (~$0.0033)/kWh between August 8, 2024, and September 30, 2024. The additional surcharge was exempted for all open access consumers from April 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023.

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved tariffs for ten solar power projects of Uttar Gujarat Vij Company (UGVCL) with a total capacity of 41.10 MW under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) program’s Component C. The adopted tariffs range between ₹2.74 (~$0.032)/kWh and ₹3.04 (~$0.036)/kWh. The petitioner, UGVCL, had invited a request for selection in October 2023 for 6,000 solar irrigation pump sets. Letters of intent were issued to ten bidders. The petitioner contended that it had followed a transparent bidding process, adhering to all Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s guidelines.

REC Power Development and Consultancy has invited bids for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 1 MW grid-connected ground-mounted solar photovoltaic project in Haryana. Bids must be submitted by January 3, 2025. Eligible bidders must submit a non-refundable tender processing fee of ₹5,000 (~$60.15). They must also submit an earnest money deposit of ₹ 510,000 (~$6,135.30) with a validity of 180 days from the bid opening date. A performance security deposit of 10% of the total contract value must also be furnished. The project involves acquiring approximately five acres of land on a leasehold basis for a minimum of 29 years and 11 months near the State Transmission Utility substation in Haryana.

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution has invited bids to procure 1,000 MW of round-the-clock power from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028. The delivery point will be at the Central Transmission Utility for power projects outside Maharashtra and at the State Transmission Utility for projects within the state. The last date for the submission of bids is January 16, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day. The tender is invited on a fixed-on-order basis under a medium-term arrangement with a lumpsum tariff structure. Bids must be placed for a minimum capacity of 100 MW.

Bharat Coking Coal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coal India, has invited bids for the design, engineering, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of a cumulative 1.882 MW of rooftop solar systems under the net metering arrangement at Belgaria Township in Jharkhand. The successful bidder must also oversee the project’s operation and maintenance for five years. Bids must be submitted by December 31, 2024. Bids will be opened on January 2, 2025. Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹1.27 million (~$14,970.68). The estimated cost of work, including GST, is 101.53 million (~$1.20 million).

Construction and engineering company G R Infraprojects has been awarded a contract from PFC Consulting to establish an inter-state transmission system to integrate the Bijapur Renewable Energy Zone in Karnataka. The quoted transmission cost is ₹1.08 billion (~$12.73 million)/annum. G R Infraprojects must set up the transmission project on a build, own, operate, and transfer basis within 24 months. The work involves establishing a 400/220 kV, five 500 MVA pooling station near Bijapur, the Bijapur PS – Raichur New 400 kV (Quad ACSR moose) D/c line, and two125MVAr 420 kV bus reactors at Bijapur PS. G R Infraprojects must also obtain the transmission license.

Indus Towers, a Haryana-based mobile tower installation company, will procure 130 MW of solar energy from JSW Green Energy Eight, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of JSW Energy. The two companies have signed a power purchase agreement for the power procurement in captive mode. Indus has also proposed to invest approximately ₹380.3 million (~$4.4 million) to acquire 26% equity shares in the SPV. The acquisition aligns with the company’s sustainability and net zero goals by 2050. Indus Towers provides coverage in all 22 telecom circles in India with 229,659 towers and 379, 236 co-locations as of September 2024.

Lithium-ion battery pack prices dropped 20% from 2023 to a record low of $115/kWh, the most significant annual decline since 2017, according to BloombergNEF. The price reflects a global average that varies across geographies and application areas. The price decline is driven by factors such as overcapacity in cell manufacturing, economies of scale, lower metal and component costs, adoption of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, and slower growth in electric vehicle sales.