The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has issued a tender for setting up 50 MW of grid-connected solar projects.

The projects are to be developed under the developer model in design-build-operate-transfer (DBOT) mode at  Panchet in the state of Jharkhand.

The last date for the submission of bids is December 27, 2019, while the bid opening date is scheduled for December 31, 2019.

The scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing, forwarding, and commissioning of the grid-connected solar PV projects on approximately 290 acres of land.

The work also involves the supply and installation of a water washing system for the cleaning of solar modules. The successful bidder will also be responsible for the installation of the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system for remote monitoring and control of inverters with all hardware and software.

Interested bidders must deposit a sum of ₹18.5 million (~$260,000) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

As per the qualifying requirement on technical capability, the bidder should have designed, supplied, erected, and commissioned at least 10 MW of solar projects in India. Out of the 10 MW project, the bidder should have directly worked on at least 2 MW.

According to the tender document, the networking capital of the bidder should not be less than ₹461.5 million (~$6.4 million). Moreover, the average annual turnover of the bidder for the best three years out of the last five financial years should not be less than ₹1.8 billion (~$25.7 million).

According to the DVC, all components of the project should comply with the Indian Standard or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard. The design and commissioning should also be as per the latest quality standards.

Further, the cells and modules used in the project should be sourced only from the models and manufacturers included in the ‘Approved List of Models and Manufacturers’ as published by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

A couple of months ago, the ministry had issued a notification shedding light on its earlier order regarding the compulsory registration under the Approved Models and Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Modules. The MNRE stated that the list would consist of List-1, which specifies the models and manufacturers of solar PV modules, while List-II will specify the models and manufacturers of solar PV cells. Both the lists will come into effect from March 31, 2020. The MNRE clarified that after March 31, 2020, only those models and manufacturers that are included in ALMM lists of solar PV cells and modules would be eligible to use in government or government-assisted projects or projects under government programs.

The state of Jharkhand is currently in the bottom rungs of the ladder when it comes to the development of solar projects. The state is yet to see big solar tenders being awarded for development.

According to Mercom India’s Solar Project Tracker, the state currently has merely 19 MW of large-scale solar projects in operation.

However, earlier this year, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture between the public-sector units of the Ministry of Power and the Government of India, had issued a tender to set up 100 MW of solar projects across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Image credit: Thomas Lloyd Group [CC BY-SA 4.0]