NHPC Limited has floated a tender for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of 65 MW of solar projects at the Parasan village in the Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh.

Interested bidders are expected to submit an earnest money deposit of ₹3 million (~$40,997). The deadline for submitting bids is November 18, 2020. The project must be commissioned within 12 months from the date it is awarded.

In June, the national hydropower generator decided to diversify its business to include solar power. NHPC has also floated an EPC tender for a 100 MW grid-connected solar project in Rajasthan. According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, NHPC has so far issued tenders for 2,395 MW of solar projects.

The scope of work includes developing the 65 MW project along with the associated 132 kV power evacuation infrastructure on a turnkey basis. It also includes the design, engineering, civil, electrical, and mechanical work, manufacturing, supply, packing, installation, commissioning, and testing of the project. Selected bidders must also provide comprehensive operations and maintenance services for ten years from the date the project is commissioned.

To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants must have executed similar work in the past with a cumulative installed capacity of 40 MW or more. At least one of these projects must have been 10 MW or higher and must have been operating successfully for six months.

Alternatively, they must have executed ₹2 billion (~$27.3 million) worth of projects as an EPC contractor in the power, steel, oil and gas, petrochemical, fertilizer, cement, coal mining, coal handling, or other process industries in the last ten years. They must also have set up at least one 33 kV electrical substation with 33 kV or above voltage level circuit breakers.

In terms of financial eligibility criteria, NHPC said that applicants must have had an average annual turnover of not less than ₹3.84 billion (~$52.5 million) in the last three financial years. They must also have a net worth that is equal to or more than their paid-up share capital.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, NHPC Limited has 50 MW of solar projects in operation in Tamil Nadu. It also has another 10 MW of floating solar projects under construction.

Image credit: Photo by Anders Jacobsen on Unsplash