The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a notice inviting tender (NIT) for setting up of 1,200 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS) connected renewable projects with guaranteed peak power supply.

Since this is only a notice announcing the tender, no details about the projects to be developed are available yet. The detailed tender document is likely to be uploaded on SECI’s website shortly.

Commenting on the tender announcement, a SECI official told Mercom, “This is the second renewable tender with peak power supply.”

In August 2019, Mercom reported that SECI had issued a request for selection for setting up 1.2 GW of renewable projects connected with the ISTS with a guaranteed peak power supply (ISTS-VII). The tender was oversubscribed by 420 MW.

In this tender, a project was asked to have at least two components. One will be the energy storage system (ESS) component and the other will be the renewable energy generating component. The RE generating component could be either a solar photovoltaic (SPV) system or a wind energy system or a hybrid system of both technologies. Projects selected under this RfS were eligible for two-part tariffs: Peak Tariff and Off-Peak Tariff. Energy generated during the off-peak hours was eligible for a flat tariff payment ₹2.70 ($0.03)/kWh (later amended to ₹2.88 ($0.04)/kWh) while the energy generated during the peak hours was to be purchased at the tariff discovered through e-reverse auction, SECI had then specified. The bidders were to quote only for the peak tariff under this RfS. The applicable tariff under the PPA would comprise both peak and off-peak tariffs that will be fixed for the entire term of the PPA.

Then, in January 2020, it was reported that Greenko Group and ReNew Power won the auction conducted by the Solar Energy Corporation of India 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.