SJVN Limited has invited bids for the development of the Dhaulasidh hydroelectric project.

SJVN is a joint venture of the government of India and the state government of Himachal Pradesh.

The tender calls for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) package covering the design and engineering services, civil, and hydro-mechanical work of the 66 MW Dhaulasidh hydroelectric project located in the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh.

The last date for submitting the bids is November 16, 2020, and the pre-bid meeting will take place on October 12, 2020. The project should be completed within four years. Interested bidders will have to pay an amount of ₹44.96 million (~$610,039) as the bid security deposit. The debt-equity ratio is expected to be 80:20.

To participate in the competitive bidding process, the bidder should have experience in the design and engineering of at least one completed hydroelectric project in the last 20 years, out of which one should be of at least 25 MW capacity. The bidder should have completed one hydroelectric project in the last seven years. The bidder should also have experience designing and manufacturing major components of a hydroelectric project in the last 20 years. They should also have the experience of design and engineering of one such project that has been in operation for the previous two years.

For the civil works, the bidder should have experience of executing at least one such work involving the excavation of 3,50,000 m3 or more in a single contract in the last 20 years. The bidder should have experience of executing at least 2,50,000 m3 excavation for a continuous period of a year in a single contract in the previous 20 years. They should also have completed at least one civil work involving concrete quantities of 2,00,000 m3 or more in a single deal during the last 20 years. Similarly, the bidder should have experience of achieving a progress rate of execution of at least 1,50,000 m3 of concrete quantities for 12 months in a single contract in the last 20 years.

Regarding the financial criteria, the bidder should have a positive net worth in two of the last three financial years. The bidder’s minimum average annual construction turnover should be ₹1.4 billion (~$18.9 million).

In the case of a joint venture or consortium, the lead partner’s average annual construction turnover should not be less than 50% of the average annual construction turnover, which amounts to ₹700 million (~$9.49 million).

As per the document, the bidder’s available bid capacity for participation in the current tender should not be less than ₹3.71 billion (~$50.3 million).

To increase its geostrategic reach, SJVN was planning to acquire hydro and solar power projects. Earlier this year, it issued a notice inviting expressions of interest from interested parties to offer their solar and hydropower projects for acquisition by SJVN. Power generation companies, power project developers, IPPs, state electricity boards, and lenders owning hydro or solar power projects which are operational or under development in various Indian states are eligible for offering their projects for possible acquisition by SJVN.

Recently, SJVN also won two projects of 100 MW each in Gujarat’s solar parks. It has already invited a tender for the engineering and construction of a 100 MW solar project at the Raghanesda Solar Park (Phase X). The other project is located in Dholera.