The Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has invited bids to set up a 2,000 kg/HR biomass briquetting project at Saligao, Bardez in Goa.

A briquette is a compressed block of any biomass material like wood, leaves, sawdust that can be used to start a fire. Such briquettes can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels like coal or oil.

The project will be developed on a design, build, operate, finance, and transfer basis for ten years.

The scope of work includes the setting up of a 2,000 kg/HR biomass briquetting project based on tree waste, tender coconut waste, and coconut leaves waste in Goa. The grid-connected solar power project will be installed atop a constructed shed in a shadow-free area.

The last date to submit the bids online is January 25, 2021. The pre-bid meeting will take place on January 12, 2021. The opening of bids will take place on February 01, 2021.

The estimated cost of the project is ₹15 million (~$202,808). Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹3 million (~$40,561) as the earnest money deposit (EMD). The successful bidder will have to submit an amount of ₹ 1million (~$13,520) as a bank guarantee for ten years.

The project’s objective is to manufacture and demonstrate the use of biomass briquette as a renewable source of energy in industrial, commercial, and household applications.

As per the tender document, the work should be completed within 150 days of the issue of the work order. GEDA will provide land measuring 3,520 square meters at Saligao, Bardez in Goa, free of cost, to the selected bidder to install the project and store all biomass types near the plant.

The bidder should have three years’ experience in manufacturing biomass-based briquettes or have a joint venture with a company having such experience.

Raw material storage should be appropriately located for ease of collection and transportation.

The bidder should have a minimum average annual turnover of ₹10 million (~$135,205) in any of the last two financial years and possess enough financial strength to operate and maintain the plant for a minimum of ten years.

Earlier, the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency also issued a request for proposal seeking developers for briquetting or bio-oil projects based on biomass-based fuels.

In September this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) extended its biomass-based cogeneration program. The program has now been extended until March 31, 2021, or until the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations come into effect, whichever comes first. The program was initially scheduled to end in March 2020.

The central government is also promoting the use of biomass as an alternative source of fuel. Biomass and organic waste sources like paddy straw, farm stubble, agricultural residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, distillery spent wash, municipal solid waste, and sewage treatment plants waste offer massive potential for biogas production.

Image credit: Gulhantr, CC BY-SA 4.0