NTPC has invited bids for two years comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) of 56.3 MW solar power projects at Kawas in Surat, Gujarat.

The Kawas project includes a 31.25 MW ground-mounted and a 25 MW floating solar project. It also comprises a 52.5 kW rooftop solar system on the administrative building of NTPC’s Kawas gas power plant.

The ground-mounted project is on 137 acres of land, and the floating project is on an 84-acre reservoir.

Bids must be submitted by June 6, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹1 million (~$11,742).

The project’s bid value is estimated at ₹110.11 million (~$1.29 million).

A portion of the monthly bill, amounting to 5%, will be kept on hold for safety compliance. It will be released every quarter.

The ground-mounted and floating solar power projects provide electricity to Telangana’s power distribution companies through the 220 kV NTPC Kawas substation.

The project’s defect liability is three months.

Successful bidders must complete all activities necessary for the solar project’s safe and efficient operation.

They must conduct preventive and breakdown maintenance and provide spare parts. They must also perform the project’s periodic overhauls, clean the drains and cable trenches, and ensure visits by O&M experts to maximize the project’s availability.

The scope of work also includes daily tasks such as monitoring and logging the project’s voltage, current, power factor, power, temperature, and energy output. The O&M for equipment must be provided up to the power evacuation point.

Successful bidders must use supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to monitor the project equipment’s operating status. The control room must be staffed 24 hours on all days.

Modules must be washed daily except during the high-load periods. Module washing must only be conducted when the load is under 20% of the installed capacity.

Deviation charges will not be included in the project’s scope.

Selected bidders must have comprehensive maintenance contracts for inverters, transformers, SCADA, and communication systems. They must also maintain a monthly inverter availability factor of 99.5%.

NTPC’s original equipment manufacturer provides an extended warranty for solar modules, power conditioning unit systems, and SCADA for 10 years. This warranty will be applicable during the two-year O&M period.

Failure to complete any maintenance activity beyond 30 days will attract liquidated damages of 20% of the activity. The yearly deductions will be limited to 10% of the annual O&M cost.

Bidders must have installed and commissioned at least a 10 MW solar project in the past seven years.

Alternatively, they must have conducted O&M for a solar project of at least 10 MW for one year in the last seven years.

Bidders must also have a minimum financial turnover of ₹46.7 million (~$548,361) in the previous three years.

Recently, NTPC Green Energy invited expressions of interest from renewable energy companies having power purchase agreements with intermediary procurers to acquire solar projects with a minimum cumulative capacity of 50 MW.

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