Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Power and Energy has invited bids to develop a 100 MW solar power project on a build, own, and operate basis in Siyambalanduwa and construction of a 132kV transmission facility on a turnkey basis from Siyamabalanduwa to Monaragala grid substation.

The last day to submit the bids is October 21, 2022. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The successful bidder must finance, design, supply, construct, test, commission, operate, and maintain the 100 MW solar project. The company must finance, design, supply, construct, test, and commission the 132kV transmission facility on a turnkey basis.

The land identified will be leased to the successful bidder for the project period. The successful bidder must enter into a 20-year power purchase agreement and contract to develop the transmission facility with the Ceylon Electricity Board.

An extent of 220 hectares of government land has been identified for the project at the solar park in the Siyambalanduwa Divisional Secretariat area in the Monaragala district. The developer must enter a land lease agreement with the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) and make a land lease payment for 20 years.

SLSEA has been involved in the preliminary project development activities. The successful bidder will be required to compensate for these preliminary project development activities through a success fee payment of LKR536 million (~$1.45 million). The successful bidder must make this success fee payment to SLSEA immediately after the award of the tender.

The successful bidder must form a project company and provide Ceylon Electricity Board with a preliminary obligations bond of $3.4 million within 30 days of the award. Once the preliminary obligations bond is returned upon achievement of financial close, the successful bidder must remit a construction performance bond of $8.93 million with a validity of 24 months.

Once the project company is established, it will be required to submit an application fee of LKR 5.1 million (~$13,886) and an energy permit fee of LKR100 million (~$272,279) for SLSEA. A generation license fee of LKR1.5 million (~$4,084) must be presented to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. The project company must make a land lease payment of LKR50 million (~$136,139).

In December 2020, Sri Lanka approved a proposal by the Ministry of Energy to develop the 100 MW Siyabalanduwa solar power project through private sector investment.

In March 2020, it invited bids from foreign and domestic companies to develop and maintain 150 MW of solar projects at various locations in the country.