As part of its green energy commitment, The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has 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.

The scope of work for the 40 MW of grid-connected solar power project at Ladeihil village in Ganjam district of Odisha includes the design, engineering, procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance, testing, insurance, supply, installation, commissioning, and comprehensive operation and maintenance of the project for ten years.

A pre-bid meeting is scheduled to be held on April 18, 2019, and NHPC office in Faridabad. The project completion timeframe will be nine months from the date of issue of letter of award of the contract.

The successful bidder is also expected to construct a 132 kV transmission line and power evacuation infrastructure for the project and provide operation and maintenance services for ten years.

The last date for submission of bids is May 21, 2019. The technical bids will open on May 22, 2019.

To be eligible to bid, a bidder should have completed a one solar power project of 32 MW on EPC basis as a contractor or developer in last five years. The average annual turnover of the bidder should not be less than ₹ 3.64 billion (~$ 52.37 million) in the last three financial years.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, NHPC has so far tendered 162 MW of solar projects including a 30 MW solar PV project in Jalaun Uttar Pradesh, another 50 MW solar project in Uttar Pradesh and a 50 MW project in Tamil Nadu.