The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has invited vendors to enlist for the infrastructure development of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

The bid-submission deadline is August 2, 2019.

The scope of work includes the supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, and commissioning including earthing, cabling, and all associated civil works related to Bharat DC-001 and AC-001 chargers for EVs at identified locations.

The enlisted vendors will have to provide a one-year in-built warranty and an additional five years’ annual maintenance contract (AMC) for the complete system.

The NTPC has specified that the bidder should have manufactured and supplied or been a charge point provider of off-board EV DC chargers or should have executed at least one electrical sub-station of 11 kV or above voltage level which should be in successful operation for at least two years.

The NTPC is making its presence felt in the EV charging market segment. In March 2019, it had invited bids to set up charging stations for EVs including buses and four-wheelers on a turnkey basis.

In November 2018, NTPC Limited signed a memorandum of understanding with seven vehicle aggregators namely: Ola, Lithium, Shuttl, Bikxie, Bounce, Electrie and Zoom Car, for the development and utilization of public charging infrastructure across the country.

The state-run company has also been developing charging stations across its power plants and regional offices in various parts of the country.

For instance, in March 2018, it awarded a contract to Exicom to develop a 120 kW and 50 kW EV off-board DC chargers for electric buses in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The company has also been associated with companies like Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, and Delhi Metro for the development of public charging infrastructure. With these tie-ups, the NTPC plans to set up an expansive network of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles to address the issue of range anxiety for these vehicles.

Back in June 2017, the NTPC announced that it would be entering the EV charging business in India to deploy charging station infrastructure across the country. Then in September 2018, Mercom reported that the NTPC commissioned its first EV charging station in Vishakhapatnam.

Image credit: NTPC