Panipat Thermal Station, a Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) unit, has invited bids for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of its 10 MW grid-connected solar power project.

The last date to submit online bids is December 27, 2021. Bids will be opened on December 31.

The project was installed in 2016 and has 34,940 solar modules of 315 W supplied by JA Solar and 1,820 modules of 325 W by Canadian Solar. The eight solar inverters supplied by Hitachi are 1,250 kW each.

Bidders need to submit ₹1.05 million (~$13,985) as an earnest money deposit (EMD). The successful bidder must furnish ₹5 million (~$66,602) as a security deposit within 15 days from the award of the work.

The successful bidder must also provide a bank guarantee of ₹57.5 million (~766,030) to HPGCL within 30 days from the start of the O&M period. The bank guarantee should be valid up to six months from the ending of the contract.

The successful bidder will be responsible for the comprehensive operation and maintenance of the solar project for five years. This includes all routine maintenance and breakdown maintenance of all equipment installed in the project.

The bidder must arrange inspections of panels, inverters, string measurement boxes, and transformers. In case of any damage to the equipment, the bidder will be responsible for replacing the equipment at its own cost. The successful bidder must provide comprehensive security for the project’s premises.

Bidders should be original equipment manufacturers and have two years of experience in O&M of a solar project with 5 MW or higher capacity in the last five years. They must have achieved a capacity utilization factor (CUF) of 18% or higher in these years.

Bidders must also have executed at least one O&M order of not less than ₹8.4 million (~$111,936). Alternatively, they should have executed two similar work orders of over ₹5.25 million (~$69,937) or three work orders of not less than ₹4.2 million (~$55,957).

Bidders should have a minimum average annual turnover of not less than ₹10.5 million (~$139,892) in the last three financial years.

In February 2021, HPGCL reissued a tender for 20 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects at Faridabad, Haryana.

Mercom had earlier reported that HPGCL floated a tender for 6 MW of grid-connected solar projects.

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