The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued an amendment for its tender for the development of 1.95 MW of solar projects in the union territory of Lakshadweep.

SECI had issued the tender for the development of the project with 2.15 MW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in September 2019.

Earlier, regarding the operation and maintenance of the projects, SECI had stated that the contractor must demonstrate the committed CUF (capacity utilization factor) at the end of every year per the commitment made in line with the performance guarantees.

Now, the amended version states that instead of the CUF, the contractor must demonstrate the committed availability factor at the end of every year.

SECI has also revised the time and commissioning of the projects at respective islands.  For the 150 kW solar project at BangaRam Island and 100 kW project at Thinnakara Island, the commissioning timeframe has been amended to 12 months from the previous timeline of six months.  The commissioning timeline of 12 months for Agatti Island (300 kW) and Kavaratti Island (1,400 kW) remains the same.

Earlier, the functional guarantee for the projects comprised of two guarantees:

(1) Performance ratio guarantee test for operational acceptance.

(2) Annual generation guarantees up to 10 years (O&M period), starting from the date of operational acceptance.

Now, SECI has amended this clause, and the second component of functional guarantee will now include the minimum annual plant availability.

Further, SECI has also revised the format of the Schedule of Rates (SOR) for this tender, which will supersede the earlier SOR format.  The SOR-1 has been amended with the addition of the provisions for the breakup of line items regarding BESS and scrap sale clarifications.

According to SECI, the temperature co-efficient of power should not be less than -0.40%/°C as compared to the previous document, which stated -0.30%/°C.

Moreover, in clarification, SECI has stated that environmental clearance certificates will not be required for the project.  SECI has also stated that it will not accept a mix of technology in project development.

Recently, it was reported that SECI announced an amendment for its tender for 7 GW of solar projects coupled with 2 GW of the manufacturing component. SECI provided many incentives to the developers interested in this tender, and as a result, the tender was met with a good response.

Mercom reported recently that SECI’s manufacturing linked tender was oversubscribed by 1 GW.

In February 2019, SECI had also issued a new tender for 20 MW of floating solar projects with 60 MW (BESS) on a turnkey basis in Lakshadweep.

Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.