In two separate announcements, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) tendered a combined 230 MW of grid-connected solar project.

The NTPC tendered a 225 MW grid-connected solar project under the domestic content requirement (DCR) category in Uttar Pradesh. The last date for bid submission is November 24, 2017.

The 225 MW project will be developed in a single block in Bilhaur, Uttar Pradesh. The project is expected to be developed on a turnkey basis and the scope of work includes site-grading, clearing of vegetation, providing power supply and water supply for construction purposes, design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading storage, installation, testing and commissioning of the grid-connected solar project.

The successful bidder will need to provide operation and maintenance (O&M) services for a period of 15 years. The NTPC will finance the project through DCB/NTPC-internal resources. The NTPC has asked all participants to submit a bid security of ₹115.62 million (~$1.77 million).

In a separate announcement, the SECI tendered a 5 MW grid-connected solar project under the DCR category in Telangana on behalf of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). The last date of bid submission is October 30, 2017.

The 5 MW project will be developed at BDL premises in Ibrahimpatam, Telangana. This is an engineering procurement construction (EPC) tender and the scope of work includes design, engineering, procurement, supply of equipment and materials, testing at manufacturers works, multi-level inspections, packing and forwarding, supply, receipt, unloading and storage at site, associated civil works, services, permits, licenses, installation and incidentals, insurance at all stages, erection, testing and commissioning of the project. The successful bidder will provide O&Mservices for a period of five years.

Barring the above-mentioned tenders, in 2017, NTPC has tendered a total of 526 MW solar under DCR category. These include, 35 MW tendered for captive use by NTPC projects, 241 MW of solar to be developed across the states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, and 250 MW of solar to be developed anywhere in India. NTPC has also re-tendered 250 MW of solar at Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka under DCR category in March 2017. In August, when asked about the looming, mutually agreed upon D-day for DCR, December 14, 2017, an NTPC official had said that there is still a lot of time until the December deadline for DCR. Since then, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has proposed 7.5 GW of solar to be developed under DCR category in the second phase of its CPSU program.

Image credit: Vikram Solar