Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) is on the lookout for an engineering procurement construction (EPC) contractor to develop a 10 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) project at any location in Maharashtra. The bid submission deadline is July 27, 2019.

“This is a reissue of the tender that was initially floated in January 2019 with revised clauses, bank guarantee, security deposit, metering aggregation, and arrangements,” informed an official involved with the implementation of this project.

The estimated project cost is ₹400 million (~$5.7 million), and the project completion timeframe is 12 months from the date of issuance of the letter of award (LoA).

The project will be executed on a turnkey basis and the scope of work includes the identification and procurement of the land, design, engineering, procurement, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage at site, insurance, site development, construction, erection and installation of equipment, testing and commissioning of the project along with associated pooling sub-station and transmission system.

The successful bidder will be responsible for open access application and receipt of permission in the name of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) for the use of power as a captive consumer. The successful bidder will also provide operation and maintenance services for ten years.

All the permissions, approvals, and clearances required from the government for the successful commissioning of the project will be the responsibility of the EPC contractor.

The grid-connected solar PV project will be funded and owned by Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi. After the issuance of the LoA, the successful EPC contractor will have 15 days to submit an irrevocable performance bank guarantee equivalent to 7.5% of the contract value.

On successful commissioning of the captive grid-connected solar PV project, the successful bidder will provide the training on solar project operations and maintenance to a team of 10 to 15 personnel as nominated by the trust.

Along with, schools, colleges, and hotels, an increasing number of religious institutions are also slowly turning to solar power to light up their premises.

For instance, in 2018, gurdwaras in New Delhi planned to utilize solar power to meet their day-to-day requirements. The renewal energy wing of Delhi’s Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee had initiated a 1 MW of solar project in early 2018.

Previously, Mercom reported that Tirupati Smart City Corporation Limited had also issued Request for Proposal (RfP) for 6 MW of grid-connected solar PV projects.