PFCL Floats Empanelment Tender for Metering Infrastructure Service Providers

Solarium Green Energy Receives BSE Nod for Initial Public Offering

Power Transmission Company Kalpataru Projects Raises ₹10 Billion in QIP

Himachal Regulator Approves Tariff for 900 MW Hybrid Power Projects

Daily News Wrap-Up: HPERC Allows DISCOM To Procure 550 MW Solar Power

MES Invites Bids for Maintenance of 1.7 MW Solar Project

Exploring Solar Open Access Potential in Odisha and Haryana

Karnataka Floats EPC Tender for 1.2 MW Solar Project

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>Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:
The Uttar Pradesh Government approved the &#8216;Solar Energy Policy, 2022,&#8216; revising its proposed target upwards to 22 GW of solar capacity by FY 2026-27. The government had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-proposes-to-install-16-gw-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> a 16 GW solar capacity target in its draft policy earlier this year. The approved target capacity includes 14 GW of utility-scale power projects, 6 GW of rooftop solar projects, and 2 GW of distributed solar projects. The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (<a href="http://upneda.org.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UPNEDA</a>) has been designated the nodal agency for implementing the policy.
The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission <a href="https://hperc.org/new1/File/ghanvi27-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">determined</a> a project-specific levelized tariff of ₹3.16 (~$0.038)/kWh for the Ghanvi-II small hydro project, which will be applicable from the commercial operation date, i.e., April 3, 2014. Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board had filed a petition with the regulatory body for the determination of capital cost and project-specific levelized tariff for the sale of power from Ghanvi II, a 10 MW small hydropower project located on Ghanvi river in the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh.
Larsen &amp; Toubro <a href="https://www.larsentoubro.com/pressreleases/2022-11-24-lt-construction-wins-a-significant-order-for-its-heavy-civil-infrastructure-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secured</a> an order from the Greenko group for civil and hydromechanical works to develop an off-stream pumped storage project in Madhya Pradesh. The project will be executed within 30 months through a consortium led by Larsen &amp; Toubro. Upon completion, the project will be one of India&#8217;s largest clean energy projects of its type. The Gandhisagar project, designed to meet a pumped storage capacity of 10,080 MWh, envisages the creation of an upper reservoir near Khemla block village in Madhya Pradesh while the existing Gandhisagar reservoir will be the lower reservoir.
The Al Kharsaah, an 800 MW solar power project in Qatar, <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/light-up-qatars-carbon-neutral-world-cup----800mw-solar-power-plant-in-qatar-constructed-by-powerchina-connected-to-the-grid-301686633.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">achieved</a> grid connectivity at full capacity. The project, located 80 km west of Doha, is said to be the world&#8217;s largest solar project using a tracking system and bifacial modules. It is also the third-largest single-location solar power project in the world. Qatar hopes to use this project to promote clean energy development in the country. Al Kharsaah can supply 10% of Qatar&#8217;s peak power consumption and offset 26 million tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime.
ib vogt, a Berlin-headquartered solar developer, <a href="https://www.ibvogt.com/home/vogt-news/ib-vogt-starts-construction-on-149-mwp-project-in-spain-signs-ppa-with-google.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started</a> the construction of the 149 MW Garnacha solar power project located in the province of Zamora in Spain. The company signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google for 12 years, and the project is expected to be commercially operational by October 2023. The project is located near the city of Toro and covers an area of 224 hectares of land. With an output of up to 300 GWh per year, the project would provide electricity equivalent to the average consumption of 85,000 households while saving up to 50,000 tons of CO2 per year.
Harmony Energy, a UK-based renewables developer, <a href="https://www.harmonyenergy.co.uk/general/harmony-energy-income-trust-brings-europes-largest-battery-energy-storage-system-online/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the successful commissioning of the 196 MWh – Pillswood project in East Yorkshire in the UK. The project has deployed a Tesla two-hour megapack system, which can store up to 196 MWh of electricity in a single cycle. The project site is located adjacent to National Grid&#8217;s Creyke Beck substation, the same connection point proposed for phases&#8217; A&#8217; and &#8216;B&#8217; of the world&#8217;s largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank, which is set to become operational in summer 2023. The project will be operated through Autobidder, Tesla&#8217;s algorithmic trading platform, which has demonstrated its efficiency in managing the Holes Bay and Contego projects – two existing battery storage projects also developed by Harmony Energy.
Voltalia, an international player in the renewable energy space, <a href="https://www.voltalia.com/news-releases/news-release-details/voltalia-signs-350-megawatt-solar-power-supply-contract-renault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the signing of a contract with the Renault Group to supply 350 MW of solar power, representing approximately 500 GWh per year. The agreement is considered one of France&#8217;s largest renewable electricity supply contracts. Renault Group has announced its intention to accelerate the decarbonization of its plants in France, and the agreement with Voltalia will enable them to cover up to 50% of the electricity consumption of its production activities in France by 2027. Voltalia will install 100 MW of solar panels at its sites in France starting in 2025.
AMEA Power <a href="https://ameapower.com/amea-power-to-expand-the-capacity-of-its-solar-project-in-togo-creating-west-africas-largest-solar-plant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the expansion of the &#8216;Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Solar Power Project&#8217; in Togo from 50 MW to 70 MW, making it the largest solar project in West Africa. Located in the village of Blitta, the project will provide power to more than 222,000 households and include a 4 MWh battery energy storage system. Phases 1 and 2 of the project were fully developed by AMEA Power during the COVID-19 pandemic and took less than 18 months to complete from their initial inception. Both project phases became operational in June 2021.

Daily News Wrap-Up: Uttar Pradesh to Install 22 GW Solar Capacity by FY27

<a href="https://www.larsentoubro.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Larsen &amp; Toubro</a>, <a href="https://www.amararaja.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amara Raja Group</a>, and <a href="https://www.jakson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jakson Group</a> were declared winders in <a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NTPC</a>&#8216;s auction for a balance of systems (BoS) package for the 735 (3*245) MW Nokh solar project in Rajasthan.
Larsen &amp; Toubro quoted a rate of ₹16.25 million (~$216,756)/MW to deliver the BoS package for the first block of  245 MW solar projects. Amara Raja Group won the bid for the second block of 245 MW by quoting ₹17.14 million (~$228,656)/MW. Jakson Group quoted the lowest bid of ₹17.86 million (~$238,333) to provide a BoS package for the third block of 245 MW.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-32095 size-full aligncenter" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NTPC-BoS.png" alt="NTPC BoS" width="602" height="205" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NTPC-BoS.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NTPC-BoS-300x102.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NTPC-BoS-600x204.png 600w" sizes="(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" />
NTPC initially <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-balance-of-system-tender-solar-rajasthan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> the tender in March 2020 for the BoS package for the 735 (3*245) MW solar project in Rajasthan. In August 2020, the bid submission deadline <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpcs-solar-bos-tender-nokh-solar-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> extended.
After that, in November 2021, NTPC <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-reissues-tender-solar-rajasthan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reissued</a> the tender. In the latest tender, the bidders&#8217; average annual turnover requirement was increased.
The average annual turnover of bidders for the first block was raised to ₹900 million (~$12 million) and ₹1.8 billion (~$24 million) for the second block. Earlier, the minimum financial requirement for the first block was ₹670 million (~$8.81 million), and for the second block, it was ₹1.34 billion (~$17.61 million).
Previously, bid security for the bids was ₹50 million (~$657,236). Later, bidders were allowed to provide a declaration in the place of bid security.
The scope of work of the tender includes the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing, transporting, unloading, storage, installation, testing, and commissioning of solar projects, excluding the supply of solar modules.
The successful bidders are also responsible for designing and constructing module mounting structures with tracker technology for solar modules, including installing modules on the tracker and the interconnection.
Earlier this month, NTPC Renewable Energy Limited <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-tenders-bos-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids for a BoS package with land for 300 MW of inter-state transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar projects to be set up anywhere in India. In the same month, it also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ntpc-tenders-bos-package-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids for a BoS package with land for 1,000 MW of ISTS-connected solar projects to be set up anywhere in India.
Mercom had earlier <a href="https://mercomindia.com/amara-raja-bos-ntpc-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Amara Raja Power Systems won the reverse auction conducted by NTPC for a 90 MW BoS package for Anta Solar Power Project in Rajasthan.
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 invited bids for BoS packages of 2,360 MW of solar projects to date.
&nbsp;

L&T, Amara Raja, and Jakson Winners in NTPC’s 735 MW BoS Package Auction

The renewables arm of Larsen &amp; Toubro’s Power Transmission &amp; Distribution Business has secured a turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract from the consortium of ACWA Power and the Water and Electricity Holding Company, a subsidiary of the Public Investments Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), for the Sudair Solar photovoltaic (PV) Project of 1.5 GW capacity.
The project is considered to be the largest solar project in Saudi Arabia.
The project coming up in Riyadh Province has a 30.8 square kilometer land parcel available to install a total capacity of 1.5 GW PV solar modules with associated single axis tracker and inverters.
As part of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), the Sudair project is awarded to PIF and its partner, ACWA Power. This project is part of 70% of the target capacity of 58.7 GW assigned to PIF. The Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) would undertake competitive tendering for the remaining 30%.
“With several GW of solar EPC experience, L&amp;T has emerged as a global technology player for solar plants,” said S.N. Subrahmanyan, chief executive officer and managing director, Larsen &amp; Toubro.
Securing the project is a major milestone in the firm’s clean and green energy path to fight the climate crisis that the world faces, Subrahmanyan said.
“L&amp;T has been a provider of EPC services for several green projects in recent years. We have a diversified renewable portfolio of 32 M.W. floating solar power plants, 135 MWh of battery energy storage projects, 500 microgrids, and 14,000 solar water pumps. L&amp;T is also working on potential solutions related to green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage technologies.”
In an expansion move, in a BSE filing in February this year, L&amp;T had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-solar-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> its power transmission &amp; distribution business had secured two engineering, procurement, and construction orders to establish over 400 MW of solar projects in Gujarat.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/saudi-arabia-solar-tender/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> the request for qualification (RfQ) for four solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 1,200 MW.

L&T Construction Bags EPC Order to Set Up 1.5 GW Solar PV Project in Saudi Arabia

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (<a href="https://www.aiib.org/en/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AIIB)</a> has announced that it will provide a $100 million loan to L&amp;T Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (<a href="https://www.ltfs.com/companies/lt-infra-finance.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LTIF</a>).
The loan proceeds will be used to finance mid and large-scale wind and solar projects throughout India. The loan mobilizes private capital from sponsors, other financiers, and LTIF’s sources.
LTIF, a non-banking financial company classified as an infrastructure finance company by the Reserve Bank of India, is one of the leading arrangers and financiers of renewable energy in India. LTIF is a subsidiary of L&amp;T Financial Holdings, which in turn, is majority-owned by <a href="http://www.larsentoubro.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Larsen &amp; Toubro</a>, an engineering and construction company in India.
The $100 million project fund is to be disbursed until September 2020, and the estimated date of financing approval has been mentioned as Q3 2019.
Through this project, the AIIB proposes to combine the strengths of Larsen &amp; Toubro’s engineering experience and LTIF’s underwriting skills with AIIB’s guidance on the environment and social standards. The new entity will promote environmentally, socially, and financially responsible project development.
The proposed financing is aligned with the government&#8217;s plan to reduce India&#8217;s carbon intensity by 30%-35% of 2005 levels under the Paris Agreement. There is a dearth of financing options for sustainable energy projects in India, and this venture would increase the supply of renewable energy in India through the mobilization of private capital.
AIIB’s Environmental and Social Policy will apply to this lending facility. The project has been placed in Category FI,  the financing structure involving the provision of funds through a financial intermediary, and therefore LTIF has been delegated the decision-making on the use of these funds for sub-projects that will be applied through an Environmental and Management System (ESMS).
LTIF has initiated the establishment of an ESMS system that will be expanded to include screening, categorizing, appraisal, contracting, and monitoring of subprojects supported by the AIIB.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/adb-finance-transmission-network-components-co-financing-aiib/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Earlier, </a>the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced increasing its investment in the Indian grid-infrastructure development by agreeing to fund additional power transmission network components with co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Last year, Larsen &amp; Toubro (<a href="http://www.larsentoubro.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">L&amp;T</a>) Construction bagged <a href="https://mercomindia.com/lt-construction-200-mw-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects</a> worth ₹5.9 billion (~$92 million) to be developed in the states of Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, as was reported by Mercom.

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