NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, has invited bids to purchase land for setting solar power projects under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana in Maharashtra.

As per the requirement, NVVN will purchase the land or have a lease agreement with the applicants. In the case of a lease agreement, the tenure for lease will be 30 years from the date of signing the lease agreement.

The last date to submit the bids is June 17, 2021, and bids will be opened on the same day.

Private landowners, registered farmer producer organizations, entrepreneurs, sole proprietorships, partnerships, companies, cooperative societies, government companies, and public sector undertakings will be eligible to participate in the tender. Multinational companies and overseas corporate bodies having their offices in India can also participate in the bidding process.

NVVN, through this tender, is looking to procure a minimum of nine acres of land and a maximum of 45 acres of land at a single location. The land offered must not be at an aerial distance of more than three kilometers from the state distribution company (DISCOM) substation. The land offered must be a single connected patch of at least nine acres and accessible by road.

NVVN will choose the land from selected bidders at various locations for participating in the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited’s (MSEDCL) tender under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana and will enter into the necessary agreement with the selected bidder for participation in the tender. In case NVVN does not emerge as the successful bidder in the tendering process, then NVVN will not enter in to purchase or lease arrangement of any land with the applicant.

The land offered must not be in or within the prohibited range of any wildlife-protected area or forest area, or defense establishment. There should be no government restriction in setting up the solar power project on the offered land. The applicant should have legal ownership of the land in its favor.

The land should be under the legal and physical possession of the applicant and should be free from all encumbrances.

Availability of land has been one of the major challenges for developers. Recognizing this implementing agencies and large-scale developers have started floating tenders for land in advance. The Solar Energy Corporation of India recently invited bids to select land banks and parcels to set up a 100 MW solar project in Chhattisgarh. The Energy Efficiency Services Limited also issued a tender to hire a liaising agency for land acquisition for 50 MW of solar projects in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. SJVN also has issued a notice inviting bids for the purchase or lease of 1,250 acres of land for setting up solar projects in Bihar.

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