Danapur railway division of the East Central Railway has invited bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement 3.252 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The projects include 446 kW of rooftop solar systems ranging from 10 kW to 100 kW, 2.755 MW of rooftop solar systems between 100 kW and 500 kW in Bihar, and 51 kW of rooftop solar systems with a capacity of greater than 10 kW and up to 100 kW in Uttar Pradesh.

The projects must be completed within 240 days from receipt of the work order, and the developers must provide comprehensive operation and maintenance services for 25 years.

The deadline to submit bids is February 24, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Bidders must provide an earnest money deposit of ₹1.07 million (~$13,078)/MW.

The successful bidders must submit a performance bank guarantee of ₹1.6 million (~$19,555)/MW and a bid process management fee of ₹75,000 (~$916)/MW of awarded capacity to the zonal railways within 30 days of signing the power purchase agreement (PPA).

One developer will be empaneled per state to implement rooftop systems within their respective regions, with capacities ranging from 10 kW to 100 kW and from 100 kW to 500 kW.

The empanelment will be valid for one year, with the possibility of an extension for another year based on the developer’s performance and requests from zonal railways.

To be eligible, bidders must have previously installed at least 200 kW of grid-connected solar rooftop systems or successfully commissioned at least 1 MW of grid-connected systems in residential, social, industrial, commercial, or government sectors as a developer or EPC contractor.

Additionally, bidders must have an average annual turnover of at least ₹15 million (~$183,334) in the last three financial years and must have maintained a positive net worth during the period.

The successful bidder will enter into a 25-year PPA with the railways after receiving the letter of award, which may also need to be signed at a divisional level if required by the public utilities or Zonal Railways.

The tender does not include central financial assistance, so neither the MNRE nor the Railways will be required to provide it.

Earlier, The Jabalpur Division of the West Central Railway invited bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement 12 MW grid-connected rooftop solar projects in Jabalpur and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Kota in Rajasthan.

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