The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MAHA-METRO) has invited bids to install 5 MW of rooftop and ground-mounted solar power projects under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model.

The RESCO model is where the developer owns the solar project, and the consumer only has to pay for the energy generated.

MAHA-METRO is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed with equal participation from the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra to implement the Pune Metro Rail Project.

Apart from the design, engineering, manufacture, supply, testing, and commissioning of solar projects, the successful bidder will also have to take care of comprehensive maintenance services for 25 years.  The projects will be developed at the ten elevated stations and two depots of the Pune Metro Rail Project. The completion period of the projects has been set as 52 weeks. The last date to submit the bids has been set as December 29, 2020, and the pre-bid meeting will take place on December 15, 2020.

Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹0.89 million (~$12,112) as the bid security amount. The successful bidder will have to submit an amount of ₹17.9 million (~$242,796) as the performance security deposit.

To participate in the competitive bidding process, the bidder should have installed and commissioned grid-connected solar power projects of a minimum cumulative capacity of 4 MW during the last ten financial years. The bidder should also have executed one ground-mounted or rooftop solar project of a minimum capacity of 500 kW in the previous ten years.

In the case of a joint venture or consortium, the cumulative work of 4 MW should have been executed by all the members collectively together, and the requirement of a single work of ground-mounted or rooftop project of 500 KW should have been completed by any one of the members of the joint venture.

Along with this, the bidder should have experience in operation and maintenance (O&M) for grid-connected solar power projects of a minimum of 500 kW during the last five years.

Regarding the financial criteria, the bidder’s average annual turnover in the last five financial years should not be less than ₹360 million (~$4.8 million). In a consortium, the average yearly turnover will be reckoned as the sum of each member’s turnover. The lead member should have an average annual turnover of not less than ₹180 million (~$2.4 million) in the last five financial years.

The bidder’s net worth in the last audited financial year should not be less than ₹60 million (~$813,841). In the case of a consortium, the bidder’s net worth will be calculated as the sum of each member’s net worth, out of which the lead member should have a net worth not less than ₹30 million (~$406,921). The available bid capacity should not be less than ₹160 million (~$2.17 million).

As per the tender documents, the modules used in the projects should be manufactured in India only for availing subsidy or incentive. The rest of the components can be from any source. The solar modules used must qualify for the latest edition of the IEC solar module qualification test or an equivalent Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. The total solar array capacity should not be less than the allocated capacity and should comprise solar crystalline modules of a minimum 320 Wp and above wattage.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, in Maharashtra, 14.06 MW of rooftop tenders have been issued for metro projects so far.

In February, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority floated a tender for 4.43 MW of rooftop solar projects at a station site of the Mumbai Metro Rail Project. Before that, it issued a 7.63 MW tender for rooftop solar PV projects at the site of Mumbai Metro Rail.

Image Credit: Fly2Blue, CC0