STEM Water Distribution and Infrastructure Company has issued a tender to set up 3.5 MW of grid-connected solar projects which will be developed on build own operate transfer (BOOT) basis.

STEM is a joint venture formed among the Thane Municipal, Mira-Bhayander Municipal corporation, Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal corporation, and Zilla Parishad Thane.

The grid-connected solar PV project will be developed at WTP Temghar, Maharashtra.

The bid submission deadline is July 19, 2019. The scope of work includes the design, supply, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the grid-connected solar projects. The project completion timeframe is 12 months from the date of award of the contract.

Metering and grid connectivity of the solar system will be the responsibility of the bidder. The monthly billing will be paid by the bidder along with all the necessary taxes for the number of units consumed by STEM. Moreover, the successful bidder will bear the whole project costs such as the cost of engineering, procurement, testing, commissioning, and maintenance the solar projects for 25 years.

After 25 years, the whole set up will be handed over to STEM without any cost. However, both parties can mutually decide to extend the power purchase agreement (PPA). All approvals required under local regulations, building codes, as well as the approvals required for the distribution of utility along with the generation and supply of solar power, will be the responsibility of STEM.

Of late, various agencies in Maharashtra are coming up with solar tenders to fulfill their growing energy needs. Recently, Maharashtra Water Resources Minister, Girish Mahajan, announced that Maharashtra would soon have four floating solar power projects at four of its dams.

This month, the Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a joint venture between the public-sector units of the Ministry of Power and the central government, also issued a Request for Selection to install 100 MW of solar power generating systems in the state of Maharashtra. Then in December 2018, EESL had floated a tender for 160 MW of solar PV projects to be developed near pooling substations across the state of Maharashtra.