The Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Limited (RRECL) has floated a tender inviting interested bidders to develop 113.5 MW (AC) of decentralized solar projects spread across various clusters of the state.

The projects would include the installation of solar systems between 0.5 MW and 2 MW and would be developed on a ‘Build-Own-Operate’ (BOO) basis.

The last date for the submission of bids is October 11, 2019, and the tender opening has been scheduled for October 14, 2019.

The cost of the tender documents is ₹23,600 (~$328).

According to the tender, the successful bidder must pay ₹500,000 (~$6,952)/MW as the earnest money deposit (EMD). The Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RUVNL) will enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the successful bidder for 25 years.

As per the tender, there are ten clusters in which the projects are slated to be developed.

Rajasthan has installed solar capacity of 3.5 GW as of Q2 2019, according to Mercom India Solar Project Tracker.  A total of 442 MW of solar projects are under development in the state.

Recently, Mercom reported that RRECL also issued a tender for 50 MW of rooftop solar projects under the RESCO model.

To facilitate the seamless evacuation of solar power, the state-run Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has approved ₹25.8 billion (~$358 million) to develop a transmission system for solar energy zones in Rajasthan. The transmission network has its commissioning scheduled for December 2020. The company will develop transmission systems associated with LTA application from Rajasthan Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) Part – C on a BOOM (Build Own Operate Maintain) basis. The transmission system comprises a 765/400 kV substation and 765 kV and 400 kV transmission lines that traverse Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.

Image credit: Amplus Solar