The Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA) issued an expression of interest to develop 3 GW of grid-connected ground-mounted solar photovoltaic projects in Jharkhand in a build-own-operate mode.

Bids must be submitted by January 15, 2025, and will be opened on January 17.

Selected bidders must identify suitable land, design, build, and construct the energy evacuation facilities for the projects.

Successful bidders must sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the state distribution companies (DISCOMs) and obtain and maintain all consents, clearances, and approvals for the entire PPA term.

Successful bidders must develop a project of at least 500 kW capacity. They must also identify the nearest evacuation point (feeder/substation) in the existing state transmission utility or DISCOM network by conducting preliminary studies.

They must operate the project for 25 years.

Bidders must apply in the 500kW to 2 MW (A), 2 MW to 10 MW (B), and above 10 MW (C) capacity categories.

State DISCOMs will procure the long-term power generated from the projects at a tariff discovered in the bidding process.

Under the Jharkhand State Solar Policy 2022, the state government has set a target to generate 4,000 MW of solar capacity. Of the target, the state aims to develop 3,000 MW of utility-scale solar projects.

In September this year, JREDA issued two requests for proposals for the engineering, procurement, and commissioning of 14 MW of grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects on government land in the Palamu and East Singhbhum districts.

Jharkhand is home to multiple coal-fired thermal power projects owned by Damodar Valley Corporation, NTPC, Tata Power, Tenughat Vidyut Nigam, and Jharkhand State Electricity Board.

According to JREDA, Jharkhand has 31 reservoirs with a potential of installing 1,160 MW of floating solar projects. The reservoirs at the thermal power plants are also conducive for deploying these projects. The cumulative target for developing floating solar projects under the Jharkhand Policy is 900 MW.

Damodar Valley Corporation and NTPC have been developing floating solar projects on reservoirs and water bodies in these thermal plants and issuing multiple tenders.

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