The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced the list of bidders for its 400 MW tender for renewable power on a round-the-clock basis. The list of bidders includes Greenko for a capacity of 400 MW, ReNew Power for 400 MW, HES Infra for 100 MW, and Ayana for 50 MW. The tender has been oversubscribed by 550 MW.

In October last year, SECI had issued a tender to procure 400 MW of renewable energy on round the clock basis. The energy procured through these projects will be supplied to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Under this tender, solar, wind, and hybrid projects can be developed. Moreover, the renewable power installations can be further augmented with necessary energy storage systems as per the developer’s requirements to meet the criteria of supply of power during the peak hours. The bidder will also have the flexibility to choose the type of storage system to be installed like battery energy storage systems, pumped storage systems, mechanical and chemical systems.

The minimum capacity a bidder can apply for is 50 MW, and a maximum capacity of 400 MW can be allocated to a single bidder. Selected bidders are expected to enter into power purchase agreements (PPA) with the procurers for 25 years.

Mismatch in load peak compared to solar or wind peak has been one of the disadvantages of renewables and also affecting grid stability. This tender by SECI is a unique one and the first one for round-the-clock demand and a path breaker for renewable energy integration.

Recently, Greenko Group and ReNew Power were declared the winners in the auction conducted by SECI for 1.2 GW of solar, wind, and energy storage projects with guaranteed peak power supply. While Greenko was awarded 900 MW, ReNew Power won 300 MW of projects. Greenko Group won the bid at a peak power tariff rate of ₹6.12 (~$0.086)/ kWh, and ReNew Power won at ₹6.85 (~$0.096)/ kWh. In August 2019, SECI had issued the tender for setting up 1.2 GW of renewable projects connected with the ISTS and with a guaranteed peak power supply (ISTS-VII).

Update: This article has been corrected to reflect the correct amount of oversubscription – 550 MW