The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids to supply 1 GW of round-the-clock thermal mimic (RTC-TM) power from interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected renewable energy projects for 25 years.

The last date to submit bids is May 4, 2026. Bids will open on May 7.

The scope of work covers the setup of renewable energy projects with energy storage systems, primarily to supply power to SECI.

It also involves land identification, project installation and ownership, and securing connectivity for the projects. The successful bidders must obtain all approvals and interconnect with the ISTS network, the state transmission utility (STU), or the intrastate transmission system (InSTS).

Bidders must submit a bid document fee of ₹50,000 (~$544) and a bid processing fee of ₹20,000 (~$218)/MW.

The earnest money deposit (EMD) to be submitted by bidders will be calculated as follows:

EMD amount = ₹ [954,000 (~$10,381) * S + ₹1.3 million (~$14,146) * W + ₹235,450 (~$2,562) * E]

where:
S = rated cumulative installed capacity of the solar component
W = rated cumulative installed capacity of wind and other renewable energy sources
E = rated cumulative installed capacity of the energy storage system

Bidders must also pay a performance bank guarantee (PBG) as per the following formula:

PBG amount = ₹ [2.4 million (~$26,115) * S + ₹3.3 million (~$35,908) * W + ₹588,625 (~$6,405) * E]

where:
S = rated cumulative installed capacity of the solar component
W = rated capacity of wind and other renewable sources
E = rated capacity of the energy storage system

Successful bidders must pay success charges up to ₹100,000 (~$1,088)/MW and payment security mechanism charges up to ₹0.02 (~$0.0002)/kWh.

Successful bidders will be responsible for transmitting power up to the point of interconnection and covering all associated transmission costs.

Bidders who have already commissioned or are in the process of constructing renewable energy or storage projects with untied capacity may also participate.

The renewable energy projects must be designed for interconnection with the ISTS substation at a minimum of 220 kV level.STU/InSTS-connected projects, the projects must be designed for interconnection at voltage levels that adhere to state regulations.

For STU-level connectivity, the projects must be located in the same state as the purchasing entity.

Energy storage must be charged with renewable energy and can be owned by either the bidders or a third party. The storage projects may be co-located or located separately.

Successful bidders must meet a minimum demand fulfillment ratio of 90% during peak hours and 80% during off-peak hours in each time block.

They may also designate two months between July and September when the demand fulfillment ratio can be relaxed to 70%.

Overall, they must meet at least 90% of the demand fulfillment ratio annually.

The buying entity can select any six hours per day as peak hours, between 00:00–10:00 and 18:00–24:00.

Projects must be completed within 18 months of the effective date of the power purchase agreement (PPA).

Only commercially established and operational technologies should be used to minimize technological risk and ensure the timely commencement of power supply.

Wind turbines must be of type-certified models listed in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s revised list of models and manufacturers (RLMM). Modules and cells used in projects must be listed in the approved list of models and manufacturers.

Bidders must have commissioned at least one renewable energy project with a capacity of at least 4X/5 MW in the past seven years, or two projects each with a capacity of at least X/2 MW, or three projects each with a capacity of at least 2X/5 MW. Here, X is the bid capacity.

Bidders must quote for a minimum of 100 MW and a maximum of 500 MW.

Their net worth in the last financial year must meet the following minimum requirement:

[(₹9.5 million (~$103,372) × rated solar capacity in MW) + (₹13 million (~$141,456) × rated wind and other renewable energy sources capacity in MW) + (₹2.4 million (~$26,115) × rated energy storage capacity in MWh)]

They must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• A minimum annual turnover of ₹4 million (~$43,525 ) per MW in the last financial year
  • An internal resource generation capability in the form of profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes of at least ₹8 million (~$87,050) in the same period
  • An in-principle sanction letter from lending institutions for a line of credit of at least ₹10 million (~$108,813)

Last year, SECI issued a tender to select developers for the assured peak supply of 4,800 MWh (1,200 MW × 4 hours) of firm, dispatchable renewable energy from interstate transmission-connected projects with co-located energy storage systems (FDRE-Tranche VII).

In the same month, it invited bids from renewable energy developers to supply 1,000 MW of excess power (FDRE-VIII) from projects with existing medium-term power purchase agreements.

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