The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has invited bids for the balance of system (BoS) package for the 735 (3×245) MW Nokh solar project in the state of Rajasthan.

Interested bidders will have to place bids in two stages. Stage I is for the techno-commercial bid, while stage II is for the price bid. The last date for the submission of techno-commercial bids is April 27, 2020, while the bid opening date has been scheduled for April 28, 2020.

However, the date of submission of stage II will be initiated separately after the opening of stage I bidding, states the tender document.

The scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing, transportation unloading storage, installation, testing, and commissioning of solar projects, excluding the supply of solar PV modules.

The successful bidder will also be responsible for the design and construction of module mounting structure (MMS) for solar PV panels, including the fixing of modules with module mounting structures and PV module interconnection.

All bids need to be accompanied by a bid security amount of ₹50 million (~$657,236).

The minimum financial requirement for the first block of 245 MW is ₹670 million (~$8.81 million), and for the second block, it is ₹1.34 billion (~$17.61 million).

With respect to technical criteria, the bidder should have supplied the balance of the system for at least 40 MW of solar projects. Out of the 40 MW, at least one project should have been of 10 MW. Moreover, the project must have been in successful operation for at least six months before the date of the techno-commercial bid opening. Apart from this, the bidder should be a developer of solar-based grid-connected projects of cumulative installed capacity of at least 40 MW out of which at least one project should have been of 10 MW or higher capacity.

Also, the project should be at a single location developed by the bidder. Solar-based rooftop or floating solar power projects, which are grid-connected, will also be considered eligible for QR purposes.

According to the tender document, the bidder should have executed an industrial project either as a developer or as an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor in the area of power, steel, oil, gas, petrochemical, or coal mining in the last ten years.

The bidder should have executed at least one electrical sub-station of at least 33 kV voltage level, consisting of equipment such as circuit breakers and power transformers.

In January 2020, Mercom had reported that the Rajasthan Solar Park Development Company Limited invited bids for the construction of 220 kV and 132 kV transmission lines at Nokh Solar Park in Jaisalmer on a turnkey basis.

The National Thermal Power Corporation also issued a tender for a 90 MW balance of system package for the Anta Solar Power Project in Rajasthan after it floated an enlistment tender for the supply of BoS package for its solar PV projects.

Image credit: ReNew Power