Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JLNPT) has issued a request for proposal inviting bidders to provide quotations for carrying out a detailed survey for an upcoming floating solar project at its premises.

The survey would include bathymetry, hydrography, and soil investigation for a floating solar project that it is planning to install.

JLNPT is the largest container port in the country located east of in the Arabian Sea in Maharashtra. The trust is looking to install the floating solar project in the lagoons behind its container terminal.

The survey will cover an area of 80,000 square meters. Bidders have been given a timeline of 15 days to complete the survey process. All instruments used in the survey should have valid certification. The bidder will hold the responsibility of mobilizing all tools and equipment required in the survey work.

Bidders are expected to submit proposals by October 1, 2019.

In the face of rising difficulties in availing land for solar projects, the government is looking to actively invest in floating solar power projects.

Recently, Tata Power Solar bagged a 70 MW floating solar project in the state of Kerala. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had issued tender for the development of 70 MW of floating solar PV projects at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project at Kayamkulam, Kerala in October 2018.

In September 2019, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), a public sector undertaking issued a tender for the design and supply of a complete floatation platform for 100 MW of grid-connected floating solar project at the NTPC site in Telangana’s Ramagundam.

In August 2019, the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA) issued two requests for proposal inviting bidders to develop grid-connected floating solar power projects. While one project of up to 2 MW will be developed on private water bodies, another 2 MW is slated to be developed on a government-owned water body.

Image credit: Sungrow

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.