NHPC has invited bids for the engineering, procurement, and construction of 200 MW solar power projects at Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat. The last date for the submission of bids is August 29, 2023. Bids will open on September 6. Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹92 million (~$1.1 million). The successful bidder must submit 3% of the project cost as performance security within 28 days of receiving the award notification.

The Kota Division of West Central Railway invited bids to empanel agencies to install 3.69 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis. The successful bidder must also oversee the project’s operation and maintenance for 25 years. The last date to submit the bids is August 10, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day. Bidders must submit ₹1.068 million (~$13,015)/MW of the quoted capacity as an earnest money deposit.

The Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission notified the Renewable Power Purchase Obligation Compliance amendments by Purchase of Renewable Energy/Renewable Energy Certificates Regulations, 2022. As per the amendments, the purchase of renewable energy by a captive open access consumer will be counted toward fulfilling their renewable purchase obligation. The amendments came into force on July 14, 2023.

Jammu & Kashmir Energy Development Agency has invited bids to commission 1.75 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on identified government buildings in the state. The projects would be developed in two capacity ranges— more than 10 kW and up to 50 kW totaling 1 MW, and more than 50 kW and up to 750 kW totaling 750 kW. The select developer should also oversee the projects’ operation and maintenance for five years.

Energy Efficiency Services has invited bids for the supply of 28.72 MW of polycrystalline solar modules with a wattage output of 330 Wp and above for solar power projects in Maharashtra. The last date to submit the bids is August 8, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day. Bidders must submit ₹13.04 million (~$158,908) as an earnest money deposit. The modules must be delivered within three months from the award notification.

Tata Sons announced its plan to establish a global battery cell gigafactory in the United Kingdom with a capacity to produce 40 GW of cells annually. The investment, exceeding £4 billion (~$4.4 billion), would help establish a large competitive green tech ecosystem, which is expected to revolutionize the electric mobility and renewable energy storage landscape in the UK and Europe.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company Masdar completed its inaugural green bond issuance, raising $750 million by issuing 10-year senior unsecured notes. The offering received interest from regional and international investors, resulting in an oversubscription of 5.6 times the initial offering size, with the order book peaking at $4.2 billion. The bond’s pricing experienced a tightening of 35 basis points from its launch to the final terms, settling at a final landing spread of 115 basis points over the U.S. Treasuries and featuring a coupon rate of 4.875%.

Congestion costs in regional transmission organization regions, excluding the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) region, amounted to $12.1 billion in 2022. Extrapolating these figures to include CAISO and the rest of the United States brings the total congestion costs to $20.8 billion, according to a report by power sector consulting firm Grid Strategies. The exponential growth in congestion costs is due to the frequent reliance on higher-cost thermal generators, as renewable energy sources are often curtailed due to insufficient transmission capacity.