The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board has invited expression of interest (EoI) to set up floating solar power projects over reservoirs in Manvi, Sirguppa, and Ballari City.

The board intends to lease 60 to 70 acres of land for a period of 30 years through urban local bodies (ULBs).

The proposal is based on a build, own, and operate (BOO) model on a revenue sharing basis. The power generated from the floating solar plants will be sold to the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).

Interested developers with experience in similar projects can submit the proposal by paying a sum of ₹5,900 (~$87.30). The pre-bid meeting will take place on June 15, 2018. The last date for submission of EoI is June 30, 2018, and technical tenders will be opened on July 2, 2018.

Floating solar power projects have been in vogue in states where land availability for the development of utility-scale solar projects has been an issue.

Recently, The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) increased the tender capacity for floating solar PV projects in the state of Uttar Pradesh from 100 MW to 150 MW. The solar projects will be developed on the Rihand Dam, also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Reservoir, located in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.

In December 2017, SECI invited an EoI from prospective project developers to set up 10 GW of floating solar PV projects in a phased manner over the next three years.

The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) successfully auctioned a 5 MW grid-connected floating solar PV project to be developed in the district of Murshidabad.

In April 2018, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) invited an EoI from prospective solar project developers to set up a 1 GW floating solar PV project on the Ujjani Dam Reservoir in the Solapur district of Maharashtra.

Last year, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) tendered a 3 MW floating solar project to be developed on the Meghadrigedda Reservoir in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

In November 2017, the Lakshadweep Energy Development Agency (LEDA) invited an EoI from contractors to develop 10 MW of floating solar projects in Lakshadweep.

Image credit: Flickr

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer