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Himachal Regulator Allows DISCOM to Procure 550 MW Solar Power from SECI

Agri-Solar Solutions Provider GK Energy Files Papers for ₹5.01 Billion IPO

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					</table><a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/top-utility-scale-solar-developers-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avaada Energy, NTPC Renewable Energy, Adani Green Energy, Tata Power Renewables, and Azure Power emerged as the top utility-scale solar project developers in the calendar year 2022,</a> according to Mercom’s recently released India Solar Market Leaderboard 2023. The report covers market shares and rankings across the Indian solar supply chain and provides the most accurate and comprehensive coverage of India’s solar industry leaders.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pfc-evacuate-7-gw-of-power-khavda-renewable-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PFC Consulting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation, has invited bids to develop an interstate transmission system to evacuate 7 GW of power from the Khavda</a> Renewable Energy Park under Phase-III, Part A. The transmission projects will be developed on a build, own, operate, and transfer basis. The last date to submit the bids online is July 18, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/recs-q4-net-profit-rises" target="_blank" rel="noopener">REC Limited, a government-owned infrastructure finance company, posted a net profit of ₹30 billion (~$363.6 million) in the fourth quarter of the financial year (FY) 2022-23, up 31% year-over-year.</a> This positive performance is attributable to the company’s efforts in enhancing asset quality and resolving stressed assets. The company said its net credit-impaired assets declined to 1.01% compared to 1.45% YoY. REC reported no new non-performing assets for the FY 2022-23
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/competition-building-solar-manufacturing-ecosystem-longi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LONGi Solar sees its Indian business nearly tripling in the next few years with an annual solar module supply of 10 GW, up from the 2021 high of 3.5 GW, Arijit Mitra, Deputy General Manager at LONGi</a> Solar, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2023, held in New Delhi on April 26-27. Mitra added that LONGi has applied to be part of the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers, and he hopes that factory visits by Indian government officials will happen soon with the end of COVID restrictions.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/defining-green-bonds-renewables-in-india-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As India strives to achieve its non-fossil-based energy target of 500 GW set for 2030, the funding is going to be supported by the green bond market and not just the term lending, Chintan Shah</a>, Renewable Energy Expert, commented on the sidelines of the Mercom India Renewables Summit 2023. He added that defining green bonds will help measure them and set up a long-term bond market, thus driving investments into the sector.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/himachal-pradesh-bids-for-3-mw-solar-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation has invited bids for the design, supply, construction, installation, and commissioning of a 3 MW solar power project at Sainj in the Kullu district</a> of the state. The successful bidder must also undertake operation and maintenance for eight years. The last date to submit the bids is May 25, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bharat-petroleum-solar-project-maharashtra" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) has floated a tender for the development and maintenance of a 7.56 MW (AC)/ 9.97 MW (DC) ground-mounted solar project in Tadali village of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra.</a> The power generated from the project will be used primarily at the BPCL Refinery in Mumbai through Intrastate power transfer mode. The successful bidder will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation, and commissioning of the project, along with the operation and maintenance for five years.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/maharashtra-1-mw-ground-mounted-solar-project" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Agriculture Department of Ratnagiri Zilla Parishad has invited bids to commission a 1 MW ground-mounted solar power project in Golap, Maharashtra.</a> The project should be a ground-mounted unipolar-tracked, seasonal-tilt arrangement. It should be completed within six months of receiving the work order. The developer should also oversee the project’s operation and maintenance service for three years. The last day to submit the project is June 1, 2023. Bids will be opened on the next day.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/iit-researchers-make-headway-sodium-ion-batteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have claimed a breakthrough in developing sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries by addressing the challenges of air/water instability and</a> structural-cum-electrochemical instability in cathode materials. The breakthrough has led to the creation of new air/water-stable cathode materials that exhibit exceptional electrochemical cyclic stability and resilience when exposed to air and water.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ballard-powers-q1-revenue-weak-sales-segments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fuel cell maker Ballard Power Systems’ revenue in the first quarter of the financial year 2023 amounted to $13.3 million, a 37% decline YoY.</a> Heavy Duty Mobility revenue totaled $8.7 million, reflecting an 11% decrease, primarily driven by lower revenues from technology services contracts relating to the company’s truck vertical in China. However, this decrease was partially offset by higher rail and marine revenue.
<a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/cuba-bids-for-60-mw-solar-power-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unión Eléctrica de Cuba, Cuba, has invited bids to select developers for 60 MW of solar projects in the country on a build, own, and operate basis</a>. The brief scope of work includes the project’s design, financing, construction, installation, commissioning, and operation for the power purchase agreement period. The last date to submit the bids is July 20, 2023. Bids will be opened the following day.

Daily News Wrap-Up: Avaada, NTPC, Adani Green Top Utility-Scale Solar Developers

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					</table>Unión Eléctrica de Cuba (UNE), a company operating through the Ministry of Energy and Mines, has invited bids to select developers for 60 MW of solar projects in the country on a build, own, and operate basis.
The brief scope of work includes the project&#8217;s design, financing, construction, installation, commissioning, and operation for the power purchase agreement period.
The last date to submit the bids is July 20, 2023. Bids will be opened the following day.
The project is being executed under Program-06 of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
ISA has endorsed <a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC</a> as the project management consultant (PMC) for implementing solar power projects in ISA member countries. As an ISA member country, Cuba has taken the services of NTPC as PMC to implement 60 MW of solar power projects.
Last year, NTPC was <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-900-mw-solar-projects-cuba-tender-expected-march" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appointed</a> as the PMC for 900 MW of solar projects to be developed at 175 locations across 15 provinces in Cuba under Program-6 of the ISA.
The successful bidder will be required to pay NTPC $54,000/MW of the awarded capacity and $9,000/MW of the awarded capacity to ISA as a development fee.
The projects have been divided into several blocks. The locality of Placetas, where 25 MW of solar projects are to be developed, comes under Block-1. Cifuentes and Santa Clara come under Block-2, where 20 MW of solar projects will be developed. Sagua and Corralillo come under Block-3, where 15 MW of solar projects will be developed.
There are no technical and financial qualifying requirements for the tender.
As part of the project, the solar power generator will execute a PPA with UNE, valid for 25 years from the project&#8217;s commercial operation date. The generator will dismantle the project, and the land will be restored to its original condition after completion of the PPA period.
Interconnection at 13.8 kV or 34.5 kV level is envisaged for the projects, with most of them being connected to the distribution level line running along the boundary of the site (about 100 meters), with only one site (Quemado Hilario) needing lines of 2 kilometers to the nearest substation or higher capacity line.
The generator will procure all infrastructure until the interconnection point as part of the project cost. The generator will bear the entire transmission cost from the project up to the interconnection point.
The solar modules should be polycrystalline or monocrystalline. The capacity of each of the solar modules should be at least 440 Wp power rating, which has been in production for at least six months before the supply of modules for the project.
In July Last year, NTPC had <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-tenders-solar-battery-energy-storage-cuba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a request for qualification to select developers to set up 1,150 MW grid-connected solar power projects across 175 locations and 150 MW/150 MWh battery energy storage systems at three locations in Cuba.

Cuba Invites Bids for 60 MW of Solar Power Projects

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					</table><a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC</a> has issued a request for qualification (RfQ) to select developers to set up 1,150 MW grid-connected solar power projects across 175 locations and 150 MW/150 MWh battery energy storage systems (BESS) at three locations in Cuba.
The scope of work includes design, financing, construction, installation, commissioning, operation and transfer, and dismantling of the project.
The last day to submit the bids is September 9, 2022.
Submission of bid security will be required at the request for the proposal stage.
The 1,150 MW project will be broken up into three buckets of around 300 MW each and will be tendered together. A bidder may participate in one or two or all three blocks with a minimum capacity of 50 MW. The bidder who offers the least tariff for a project of 50 MW in a block will be selected as L1.
The other bidders will be rated as L2 and L3 according to their offered tariff. Bucket filling within each block is also envisaged if the capacity is available. For this, the other bidders will be awarded the capacities they would be bidding for —with a minimum capacity of 50 MW in a block— at the tariff they had offered for that particular bucket. A similar exercise will be carried out in other buckets, too, with the total capacity awarded to each bidder capped by their total net worth as declared at the time of RfQ on a pro-rata basis.
Bidders must have designed, constructed, and operated one or more grid-connected solar power projects in Latin and South America with a minimum cumulative capacity of 15 MW. Each such project should have a minimum capacity of 5 MW. They can also qualify if they have designed, constructed, and operated one or more power projects, with any power generation technology, connected to the grid in Latin and South America with a minimum cumulative capacity of 40 MW.
Bidders can also qualify if they have designed, constructed, and operated at least three grid-connected solar power projects having a minimum cumulative capacity of 50 MW. Each such project should have a minimum capacity of 15 MW. They can also qualify if they designed, constructed, and operated one or more power projects connected to the grid, regardless of the technology, anywhere in the world, with a minimum cumulative capacity of 700 MW.
Bidders must have a net worth of at least $40 million or equivalent and a net worth to total assets ratio of at least 15%. If the bidder is a consortium having more than one reference sponsor, each being a separate legal entity, the consortium leader should have a net worth of at least $20 million or equivalent. The reference sponsors should collectively have a net worth of at least $40 million or equivalent, and each reference sponsor should have a ratio of net worth to total assets of at least 15%.
NTPC was <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-900-mw-solar-projects-cuba-tender-expected-march/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appointed</a> as the project management consultant for the 900 MW of solar projects to be developed at 175 locations across 15 provinces in Cuba under Program-6 of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
In December 2020, NTPC <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-invites-bids-for-solarization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> expressions of interest for the solarization of 47 least developed countries and small island developing states member countries of the ISA.

NTPC Tenders 1,150 MW of Solar and 150 MW/150 MWh Battery Energy Storage in Cuba

<a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC Limited</a> has been appointed as the project management consultant for the 900 MW of solar projects to be developed at 175 locations across 15 provinces in the Republic of Cuba under Program-6 of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
The request for qualification (RfQ) for the projects is expected to be released in March 2022, for which the submission deadline will be May 2022. The request for proposals from pre-qualified bidders is likely to be issued in August 2022.
The last date to submit the bids is October 2022. The signing of the power purchase agreement (PPA) will take place in December this year, and the work for the projects will start from January 2023.
This project is part of the 2,100 MW solar project implementation target of Cuba, which would help in significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Cuba is a member of the ISA.
The ISA is an Indian initiative <a href="https://mercomindia.com/isa-international-intergovernmental-organization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> by Narendra Modi and the French president on November 30, 2015, in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the UN Climate Conference. It was established to undertake joint efforts required to reduce the cost of finance for solar projects, the cost of solar technology and mobilize more than $1,000 billion (~₹73.5 trillion) of solar investments by 2030.
The size of the solar projects to be developed will range from 2.5 MW to 10 MW at each location for which sufficient land is available.
The 900 MW tender will be divided into three parts of 300 MW each (western, central, and eastern cluster).
Through its Ministry of Energy and Mines (<a href="https://www.minem.gob.cu/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MINEM</a>), the Government of Cuba has taken support of ISA for the implementation of the project.
Earlier, ISA had endorsed NTPC, through a competitive process of Swiss Challenge, as a Project Management Consultant partner to implement solar projects in ISA member countries.
Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE) is the central power sector entity in Cuba responsible for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity through Cuba.
The Government of Cuba has extended various incentives for developers to implement these projects, including tax holiday for income for the first eight years, a low tax rate of 20%  after that, and full exemption on custom duties for solar project equipment.
NTPC has stated that the PPA will be signed with UNE for 25 years from the commercial operation date.
To participate in the bidding process, the bidder should be a single entity, group of companies, or consortium. The successful bidder will have to incorporate a 100% foreign capital company in Cuba to implement the project.
MINEM will act as the nodal agency to provide authorization for land use rights. Banco International will give the letter of credit against payment for power by UNE for the entire term of the PPA.
The annual generation of power from the project is expected to be 2,400 MWhr/MW, and developers are free to choose the technology to meet the energy demand.
The interconnection at 13.8 kV and 34.5 kV levels will be developed, with many of them being line-in-line-out connections running along the site&#8217;s boundary with some needing line of an average of 2km.
Currently, NTPC has a mandate to develop solar parks and projects totaling 10,000 MW in ISA member countries.
In December 2020, NTPC had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-invites-bids-for-solarization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> expressions of interest (EoI) for the solarization of 47 least developed countries and small island developing states member countries of the ISA.
Earlier, the Republic of Mali had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-to-provide-consultancy-services/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> a project management consultancy contract to NTPC to develop a 500 MW solar park in the country.
According to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a>, NTPC has floated tenders for 18.8 GW of solar projects as of December 2021.

NTPC to Manage 900 MW of Solar Projects Development in Cuba, Tender Expected in March

Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:
Sterling and Wilson Solar Limited, a Shapoorji Pallonji Group company, has <a href="https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/c2939100-d316-4d59-9276-deb4fedae835.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">secured</a> an order worth 300 million Australian dollars (~$218.38 million). The company bagged orders two large-scale solar projects in Australia from a global independent power producer, which will have an installed capacity of more than 300 MW. The EPC work for both projects is expected to begin immediately. The company also has three other projects with a total capacity of more than 800 MW under construction in the region.
Cuba’s 10 MW of solar photovoltaic project has received a capacity boost to 15 MW. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) <a href="https://www.adfd.ae/english/NewsandEvents/News/NewsandEvents/Pages/NewsDetailsHome.aspx?Name=248" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">financed</a> the project. The project would supply clean electricity for around 10,000 households in Cuba. The funding is a part of ADFD’s commitment of $350 million to support renewable energy uptake in developing countries. The project has been scaled up with the savings from the concessionary loan of $15 million provided by ADFD under the second cycle of the IRENA-ADFD project facility, and the government of Cuba financed the remaining share.
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has <a href="https://ifcextapps.ifc.org/IFCExt/Pressroom/IFCPressRoom.nsf/0/D64C48A502FD6875852585D60034852B" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provided</a> a loan worth $225 million to FirstRand Bank Limited to support energy-efficient and water-smart projects in South Africa. FMO, a Dutch development bank, provided $75 million as a part of the loan. The funding is part of IFC’s objective to develop South Africa’s climate finance market and to support its plan to shift towards a low-carbon economy.
Able Grid Energy Solution, a battery energy storage developer, MAP Energy, and Astral Electricity have <a href="https://esacon.org/2020/08/26/able-grid-map-energy-astral-electricity-and-mortenson-announce-construction-start-for-chisholm-grid-100-mw-battery-energy-storage-system-to-serve-the-growing-ercot-texas-electricity-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> the commencement of the 100 MW Chisholm grid battery energy storage system project located in Fort Worth, Texas. The project is expected to begin its commercial operation in mid-2021. Mortenson secured the contract of battery installation and balance of plant (BOP) for the Chisholm grid facility. The work has begun on site for the balance of plant and high voltage transmission components.
Here is our <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-apple-expand-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previous</a> daily news wrap-up.

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