The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has issued documents for enlisting engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) vendors for floating and ground-mounted solar projects starting from 10 MW in size.

The scope of work for both categories of projects includes the design, manufacturing, supply, loading, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, erection, testing, and commissioning of the grid-connected floating or ground-mounted solar projects on a turnkey basis.

Successful bidders must also provide operation and maintenance services for the projects, including the transmission system for three years.

The last date for submission of enlistment applications for projects above 50 MW is February 19, 2020. For projects between 10-50 MW, the last date is February 17, 2020.

For projects ranging between 10-50 MW in capacity, bidders must have undertaken and commissioned similar projects with a cumulative installed capacity of 8 MW or higher of which at least one must be 2 MW to be eligible. Additionally, the 2 MW reference projects should have been in successful operations for at least six months. Applicants are also expected to have had a minimum average annual turnover, not less than ₹400 million (~$5.6 million) in the last three financial years.

For projects that are above 50 MW, bidding eligibility criteria state that the applicants must have taken up and commissioned similar projects of at least 40 MW in cumulative capacity, with one project being larger than 10 MW. The reference 10 MW must have been operational for at least six months.

Separately, applicants must also have had a minimum average annual turnover, not less than ₹2 billion (~$28.02 million) in the last three financial years.

Recently, Mercom reported that the NHPC extended the bid submission deadline of its tender for 2 GW of solar projects. It also raised the minimum tariff payable to the project to ₹2.78 (~$0.04)/kWh from ₹2.65 ($0.037)/kWh.

Earlier, NHPC issued an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract for developing 40 MW of grid-connected solar power project at Ladeihil village in Ganjam district of Odisha. The NHPC had signed a memorandum of understanding back in 2015 with the Solar Energy Corporation of India to set up 250 MW of solar projects in the country. NHPC has also committed to the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy to set up a minimum of 430 MW of renewable energy projects in the next five years as part of the Green Energy Commitment.

Image credit: SPG Solar [CC BY-SA 3.0)]