Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), has tendered 90 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects to be developed across the country under the Phase-II of its Sooryabala Sangramaya Program.

The bid-submission deadline of this global tender is March 23, 2018. The capacity tendered comprises 90 grid-connected solar PV projects of 1 MW each. For each project, a grid substation has been assigned by the CEB.

A total of 17 grid substations have been assigned. These include: Anuradhapura, Habarana, Trincomalee, Maho, Pannala, Valachchenai, Vavuniya, Embilipitia, Beliatta, Galle, Matara, Mathugama, Ampara, Mahiyanganaya, Monaragala, Pallekele and Vavunathivu.

According to the CEB, a single bidder can bid for any number of projects. The projects will be developed on Build Own Operate (BOO) basis and the CEB will enter 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the successful bidders.

The scope of work includes the design, finance, procurement, supply, construction, installation, testing, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the grid-connected solar PV projects. The successful bidders will have to bear the entire cost of interconnection of the grid-connected solar PV power project, including the costs of power transmission line, transformers, and metering.

Mercom had previously reported that the CEB also tendered a 10 MW solar project to be developed in Vavunathivu in Sri Lanka.

In 2017, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group member, had announced that it will invest $100 million to provide some impetus to financing for renewable energy projects in Sri Lanka.