The Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) has invited bids for the installation of 1.47 MW of rooftop solar projects and 2,045 solar street lighting systems at 115 panchayat samiti offices in the state.

The locations are spread across 30 districts of Odisha. Besides the design, engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of these solar systems, the contract will also include comprehensive maintenance services for ten years.

The last date for the submission of online bids is July 28, 2020, and the pre-bid meeting will take place on July 08, 2020.

The project has been divided into seven packages covering 115 panchayat samitis of Odisha. The bid security amounts vary depending upon the package.

Bid security amount for various packages:

The overall allocation of the total capacity will be made under Category A, and Category B. Bidders that represent local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and meet the qualification requirements will come under Category A. On the other hand, those local MSMEs that do not meet the technical and financial qualification requirements will come under Category B. The bidders cannot participate in both the categories.

As per the tender document, 80% of the capacity of rooftop solar projects and 80% of the total number of solar lighting systems will be reserved for Category A bidders. The remaining 20% of the capacity of rooftop projects and 20% of the total number of street lighting systems will be reserved for Category B bidders.

The time period for the commissioning of the project has been set as 180 days from the date of the issuance of the work order.

According to the tender document, for Category A and Category B, the bidder should have valid test certificates of solar modules, inverters, batteries, and street lighting systems from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) or the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Odisha is one of the least developed states for solar development. According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, the state has 15 MW of rooftop solar installations as of Q1 2020.

In February, the Green Energy Development Corporation of Odisha Limited (GEDCOL) had floated a tender 16.65 MW of grid-connected solar rooftop projects across 17 cities.The cities include Hirakud, Rourkela, Baripada, Burla, Balasore, Sambalpur, Balangir, Bhadrak, Bhubaneshwar, Nabrangpur, Jeypore, Koraput, Sunabeda, Brahmapur, Chatrapur, Khurda, and Puri.