NHPC Limited has issued a notice inviting tender (NIT) from the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors to develop a 75 MW interstate transmission system (ISTS) connected solar power project. The energy generated will be sold through the power exchanges.

The project must be commissioned within 15 months from the issuance of notification of award. The successful bidder must also provide five years of comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) service.

The last day to submit the bids is May 18, 2022. The bids will be opened on May 25.

The cost of the bid documents is ₹10,000 (~$132). All bidders must also furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹43 million (~$566,998).

The successful bidder must submit 3% of the total project cost as performance security within 28 days of receiving the work order. They must also submit 3% of the O&M cost as performance security within 28 days before the end of the defect liability period.

To be eligible, the bidders must have developed or supervised the commissioning of a grid-connected solar project of cumulative installed capacity of 40 MW or higher, out of which at least one project must be 10 MW. Alternatively, bidders could have executed a steel, petrochemical, fertilizer, cement, or power project as a developer or EPC contractor in the last ten years, making this tender open for EPC contractors even from the non-renewable industrial sectors. The minimum value of this industrial project must be ₹1.5 billion (~$19.77 million), and the project must be in successful operation for at least one year before the last date of submission of the bid.

Bidder must have executed at least one electrical substation of 33kV or above voltage level, consisting of 33 kV or above voltage level circuit breakers and power transformer, either as a developer or an EPC contractor. The project must be in successful operation for at least one year before the last date of bid submission.

Bidders must possess proof of land ownership acquired to set up renewable energy projects. The land must be sufficient to house at least 50% of the applied capacity. The requirement of land is computed as 4 acres/MW.

The bidders must have a minimum average annual turnover of ₹1 billion (~$13.18 million) in the last three financial years ending March 31, 2021, for the total bid capacity of 75 MW. The bidders should also have a positive net worth in any three out of the last five years. As per the last audited financial statement, bidders must have a minimum working capital of ₹560 million (~$7.38 million).

If the bidder fails to completer the project within the stipulated time, liquidity damages of ₹19,902 (~$262)/day/MW would be recovered from the bidder’s running account bills. The aggregate amount of such liquidated damages will not exceed 10% of the total project cost.

In October 2021, NHPC Limited had floated an EPC tender for grid-connected solar projects up to 1 GW capacity.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, NHPC has floated 5.06 GW of solar tenders.