Meghalaya New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (MNREDA) has issued a tender for 3 MW grid-connected solar rooftop projects under the net metering arrangement.

The tender has been floated under the central financial assistance (CFA) program.

Apart from the installation and commissioning, the successful bidders will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project for five years. Out of the total capacity of 3 MW, MNREDA has decided to reserve 500 kW under the CAPEX (capital expenditure) model.

The project should be completed within 120 days. The last date for the submission of bids is November 20, 2019, and the technical bids will be opened on November 21, 2019.

The earnest money deposit (EMD) for the tender is ₹590 (~$8.31)/kW for new entrepreneurs and ₹1,180 (~$16.62)/kW for regular vendors. The tender further specifies that new entrepreneurs applying under this category will be required to meet the financial eligibility criteria proportionate to a minimum capacity of 50 kW. These new entrepreneurs will not be required to submit any financial proposals and merely have to agree to match the lowest quote within seven days of the opening of the financial bid. Moreover, no consortium will be allowed to bid under the open category.

Bidders should have designed, supplied, installed, and commissioned a cumulative capacity of at least 100 kW of rooftop projects, which should have been commissioned at least six months before techno-commercial bid opening. Moreover, the bidder should have a minimum net worth of ₹15,000 ($212)/kW of bidding capacity as per its latest audited accounts.

As per the document, the solar power generated may be utilized for captive consumption by the MNREDA, and the surplus power will be fed to the grid as per the grid connectivity specified in Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC).

Last year, MSERC issued new regulations for the forecasting, scheduling, and deviation settlement for solar and wind energy generation in the state. As per the new regulations, MSERC would impose deviation charges on project developers and procurers for under as well as over the injection of power into the grid.

The growth in the residential rooftop solar segment has been slow, especially in states like Meghalaya. To address this, the MNRE recently issued operational guidelines to implement the second phase of its grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic program. Under the program, 4,000 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects in the residential sector would be set up with CFA for which DISCOMs and its local offices will be the nodal points for the implementation of the program.