The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has invited bids for the development of 70 MW of floating solar PV projects at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Project at Kayamkulam, Kerala.

The brief scope of work includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation and commissioning of grid connected 70 MW (minimum) of floating solar PV projects.

The successful bidder will also be responsible for providing the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the plant and transmission system for a period of three years from the date of successful completion of the trial run.

Pre-bid meeting will take place on November 1, 2018. The last date for bid submission is November 15, 2018.

To qualify for the bid under technical criteria, a bidder should have designed, supplied, installed and commissioned solar power projects of cumulative installed capacity of 40 MW or higher, out of which at least one plant should have been of 10 MW or higher capacity.

Under the financial criteria, the average annual turnover of the bidder should not be less than ₹2,506 million (~$ 33.89 million) during the last three financial years as on date of techno-commercial bid opening.

Solar PV cells and modules for this project can be sourced from anywhere in the world.

Recently, NTPC also issued tender for 60 MW (minimum) wind and 130 MW (minimum) solar hybrid energy project to be developed on a turnkey basis at NTPC, located in Kudgi, Karnataka.

Floating solar project tenders have recently gained traction in many states. Mercom reported previously that the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)  has yet again extended the bid submission deadline for setting up 150 MW (50 MW x 3) of grid connected floating solar power projects at Rihand Dam (also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Reservoir), located in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.