The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has issued a request for selection (RfS) for purchase of power from 1,000 MW (100 MW X 10 clusters) grid connected floating solar PV power project on Ujjani dam in Solapur district.

The MSEDCL has set the upper tariff limit at ₹3 (~$0.043)/kWh.

The selected bidders will enter into Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the MSEDCL for a period of 25 years from the scheduled commercial operation date (SCOD) of the project. Foreign companies are allowed to participate in the bidding process.

The last date for the submission of RfS is January 28, 2019. The technical bid will open on January 29, 2019.

To be eligible to bid for the project, the net-worth of the bidder should not be less than ₹11 million (~$157,311)/MW (of the capacity quoted) for the financial year ending on March 31, 2018.

Earlier, Mercom reported that the MSEDCL has invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from prospective solar project developers to set up a 1 GW floating solar PV project on Ujjani Dam reservoir in Solapur district of Maharashtra.

Recently, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has approved the competitive bidding process for long-term procurement of 1 GW power from floating solar projects which will be established on the state’s Ujjani Dam.

The MSEDCL had petitioned the MERC for the initiation of competitive bidding process, to approve the bidding documents (Draft request for selection and power purchase agreement) and consider this procurement of power for meeting its solar RPO requirement.

Maharashtra is witnessing an increased pace of activities in the floating solar category.

This month, the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MAHAGENCO) also invited an expression of interest (EoI) to set up a 10 MW grid-connected floating solar project at the Upper Vaitarna reservoir in Nashik district.