Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has issued an expression of interest (EoI) to conduct a detailed survey and soil investigation along the transmission line route to evacuate power from the 880 MW Kaza solar project in Himachal Pradesh.

The last date to submit bids is January 20, 2022. Bids will be opened on January 24.

Bidders must furnish ₹116,000 (~$1,560) as an earnest money deposit. In addition, the successful bidder should also submit 10% of the contract value as performance security within 28 days from the date of the notification of award.

The scope of work includes conducting a detailed survey, including route alignment, digital profiling, tower spotting, optimization of locations, check survey, contouring, and soil investigation for the transmission lines.

Bidders, as the main contractor or sub-contractor, should have prepared the detailed survey, route alignment, profiling, and tower spotting for 220 kV or above voltage class transmission line for a minimum of 125-kilometer route length in a single package or a maximum of two packages in the last five financial years. They should have a facility for digitized profiling and completed a survey using these techniques for a minimum of 62.5 kilometers of transmission lines in the last five financial years.

Bidders’ minimum average annual turnover should be ₹10.27 million (~$138,222) for the best three financial years out of the last five financial years. For micro and small enterprises and startups, the minimum average annual turnover should be ₹8.216 million (~$110,576) for the best three financial years out of the last five financial years.

The contract for developing the 880 MW solar park was allocated to SJVN Limited, a joint venture of the Union government and the Himachal Pradesh government, in 2020.

In July 2021, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission granted a transmission license to Bikaner-II Bhiwadi Transco, a special purpose vehicle of PGCIL, to establish a transmission system strengthening program for evacuation of power from solar energy zones in Rajasthan (8.1 GW) under Phase II-Part F, on build, own, operate, and maintain basis.