NHPC has invited bids for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of a 40 MW solar power project along with the associated transmission line for connectivity at the 220 kV transmission system of the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation (OPTCL) in the Ganjam district.

The successful bidder must also oversee the project’s operation and maintenance for five years.

The last date to submit the bids online is November 10, 2023. Bids will be opened on November 16.

Bidders must submit ₹30 million (~$360,540) as an earnest money deposit. The successful bidder should furnish an amount equivalent to 3% of the contract price as a performance bank guarantee within 28 days after the receipt of the notification of award.

Bidders should have experience as an EPC contractor or a developer who designed, supplied, erected, and commissioned grid-connected solar power projects of a cumulative capacity of 25 MW or higher, out of which at least one project should have been 5 MW or higher.

Alternatively, in the last ten years,  they should have executed a single work with a minimum value of ₹1.5 billion (~$18.03 million), either as a developer or an EPC contractor in the process industry or infrastructure development.

Also, they should have executed at least one electrical substation of 33 kV or above voltage level, consisting of equipment such as 33 kV or above voltage level circuit breakers and power transformer, either as a developer or an EPC contractor. The substation should have operated for at least one year before the bid submission date.

The average annual turnover of bidders in the last three financial years should not be less than ₹620 million (~$7.45 million). Their net worth should be positive in any three of the last five financial years.

The working capital of bidders should be at least ₹350 million (~$4.21 million)

In July this year, NHPC invited bids for EPC of 200 MW solar power projects at Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat. The scope of the work included design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, uploading storage, installation, testing, and commissioning of the solar project, including the supply of solar modules.

Earlier, NHPC had invited bids to select developers for setting up 3,000 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects across the country.

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