Saurya Urja Company of Rajasthan (SUCRL) has invited expressions of interest to empanel land aggregators or facilitators for acquiring private land on lease for a 700 MW solar park.

The last date for the submission of bids is January 5, 2024.

SUCRL, a joint venture between the Government of Rajasthan (GoR) and IL&FS Energy Development Company (IEDCL), was established in 2015 to develop 5,000 MW of solar parks in Rajasthan. The company has already developed a 1,000 MW solar park in Bhadla III.

The company acquired 5,500 acres of government land in Bhadla, Jodhpur, and subleased it to solar project developers. SUCRL is now planning the 700 MW solar park on privately leased land in any of the four districts of Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Phalodi, or near an upcoming interstate transmission system-connected grid substation.

SUCRL is seeking interested applicants to acquire about 3,500 acres of private land on a lease basis, intended for establishing solar power projects.

The lease duration will be 29 years and 11 months from the lease agreement’s signing date between the landowner and SUCRL, with a 5% rent escalation every three years.

The land aggregators must identify land based on location suitability, land elevations, road accessibility, water availability, presence of shrubs, lease rental, and distance to the substation.

The selected land parcels must not face any government restrictions for setting up a solar project.

The selection criteria for private lease land will include the following factors:

• Minimum distance of the transmission line from the ISTS Substation in kilometers
• Minimum land periphery required for boundary wall construction in kilometers
• Land elevation
• Minimum distance from the existing blacktop road

Applicants must have a track record of completing land aggregation assignments for encumbrance and encroachment-free land.

This experience should be on an upfront charge or lease rent basis (for a minimum of 20 years) for a project/park with a cumulative capacity of 300 MW or higher.

At least one project or park in the applicant’s portfolio should have a capacity of 150 MW or higher at a single location.

Applicants should have a team with at least five years of experience handling land acquisition against a contract. This experience can be as a consultant, employee, partner, retainer, or director.

Their annual turnover should be no less than ₹15 million (~$180,003), calculated as the average of the best three financial years out of the last five years.

Applicants should have a positive net worth as of the last day of the preceding financial year. They must possess liquid assets amounting to a minimum of ₹5 million (~$60,001.2) as of the last day of the preceding financial year.

Earlier, Mercom reported that establishing solar and wind projects to fulfill the Indian government’s goals is hampered by challenges associated with land acquisition. These projects often face hurdles arising from procedural delays, environmental factors, and social tensions.

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