The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) has tendered 200 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed across 10 talukas of the state. The bid-submission deadline is September 7, 2018.

Each taluka will have solar projects aggregating 20 MW each. The talukas are Mundargi, Gajendragad, Lakshmeshwar, Savanur, Haveri, Kushtagi, Maski, Kuragodu, and Gurmatkal and Hanur.

Thee projects will be developed on build own operate (BOO) basis under the Open category. The power will be sold exclusively to BESCOM for a 25-year period. A single bidder must quote a minimum of 20 MW for a taluka that they want to develop the project in.

If a bidder wants to they can bid for the entire capacity tendered. The project completion timeframe is 18 months from the date the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) approves the power purchase agreement (PPA).

A pre-bid meeting is set for 14 August 2018.

Previously, KREDL had tendered 860 MW of grid-connected solar PV to be developed across 43 taluks in Karnataka in December 2017, out of which PPAs for grid-connected solar PV projects totaling 640 MW to be developed in various taluks of Karnataka have been signed.

Earlier KREDL had allocated 1,200 MW of solar projects across 60 taluks with a ceiling of 20 MW per taluk under phase-V of State Policy.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, Karnataka has close to ~5.2 GW of large-scale solar installations as of July 2018 and has the largest project pipeline in the country of around 2 GW.