Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids to select developers for setting up 15 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) buildings under the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model.

The successful bidder will also have to take care of the project’s operation and maintenance (O&M) for the power purchase agreement (PPA) term of 25 years.

Under this tender, the solar power developer will be required to set up grid-connected rooftop solar systems to supply solar power to MCD.

The last date to submit the bids is August 22, 2023. Bids will be opened on August 25.

Bidders must submit ₹1.028 million (~$12,436)/MW of the quoted capacity as an earnest money deposit.

The successful bidder must furnish ₹2.57 million (~$31,091)/MW/ project of the allotted capacity as a performance bank guarantee before signing the PPA.

They must also submit ₹514,000 (~$6,218)/MW/project of the allotted capacity as an O&M performance bank guarantee valid for three years from the commissioning date.

The project must be commissioned within nine months from the effective date of the PPA.

Bidders can submit a single bid offering a minimum cumulative quantum of contracted capacity of 500 kW and a maximum cumulative quantum of contracted capacity of 15 MW per the building details.

Only commercially established and operational technologies should be used for the projects to minimize the technology risk and achieve timely commissioning.

Bidders must have experience designing, installing, and commissioning grid-connected solar power projects of a cumulative capacity of not less than 50% of the quoted capacity during the last seven years before the bid submission deadline. The project should have been operational for at least one year prior to the bid submission date.

Also, they should have experience designing, supplying, installing, and commissioning at least two grid-connected solar power projects of individual capacity not less than 50 kW during the last seven financial years before the bid submission date. The projects must have been operational for at least one year prior to the bid submission date.

The net worth of bidders should be at least ₹10.28 million (~$124,362)/MW of the quoted capacity as of the last day of the previous financial year.

They should demonstrate a minimum average annual turnover of ₹20.56 million (~$248,725)/MW of the quoted capacity during the last three financial years.

Further, the bidders should demonstrate working capital or a line of credit with a letter from the lending institution with a net worth not less than ₹5 billion (~$60.49 million) for the last financial year, for a minimum amount of ₹12.85 million (~$155,453)/MW of the quoted capacity.

The solar power developer will be responsible for getting connectivity and necessary approvals for grid connection and net metering.

Recently, SECI released the list of empaneled engineering, procurement, and construction contractors for 50 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems on government buildings across various states under the RESCO model. SECI allotted 16.48 MW out of the total capacity of 50 MW.

Earlier, SECI had disbursed ₹40.9 million (~$495,480) as subsidies under the rooftop solar program in April 2023, a 194% increase from ₹13.9 (~$168,023) in March.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, SECI has so far floated a tender for 1.3 GW of rooftop solar projects