The Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (KELTRON) has issued tender to set up a 3 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) project at Naval Station Ezhimala, located in Kannur district. The bid-submission deadline is February 08, 2019.

This is an engineering procurement construction (EPC) tender and the successful bidder will have 50 days from the issue of letter of award (LoA) of the contract to complete the work order.

The scope of work includes the testing of the site, design, engineering, supply, and installation of the 3 MW solar PV project.

Of late, the establishments owned or controlled by Indian defense organizations and departments have been increasingly turning to solar PV technology to cut down power costs.

In the past, the Military Engineering Services (MES) had announced a similar tender for a 3 MW solar project to be developed at Ezhimala in Kerala. The estimated cost of the project was ₹225 million (~$3.487 million).

In 2017, MES had also tendered a 2 MW solar project to be developed at Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The project was developed for the GE Army Utility at Jodhpur.

Mercom previously reported that the MES tendered a 1 MW project to be developed at Binnaguri Cantonment and another 1MW to be developed at 5 BRD AFS in Sulur.

Apart from these, it also tendered 6 MW of solar to be developed at various military stations in Punjab and another 2 MW solar project to be developed at the College of Military Engineering, Pune.

In July 2018, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) on behalf of Military Engineer Services, a construction agency under the Ministry of Defense, had also come up with a tender for the development of two 1.5 MW (AC) solar power projects with Battery Energy Storage System at Tangtse and Durbuk in Leh district of Jammu & Kashmir.

Then, in July 2017, SECI had tendered a 5 MW solar project to be developed at the Ordnance Factory in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Image credit: INA