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Daily News Wrap-Up: Government Amends Renewable Project Bidding Guidelines

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Madhya Pradesh Floats Tenders for 2.21 MW Rooftop Solar Projects

Record 1.7 GW Community Solar Added in the U.S. in 2024; Long-Term Growth Uncertain


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					</table><p>The Ministry of Power (<a href="https://powermin.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MOP</a>) has amended its tariff-based competitive bidding process guidelines for procuring power from wind, solar, wind-solar hybrid, and firm and dispatchable renewable energy projects with an energy storage system.</p>
<p>The Ministry had issued bidding guidelines for <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bidding-guidelines-wind-solar-hybrid-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wind-solar</a> hybrid projects, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bidding-guidelines-wind-power-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wind</a>, and <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/new-solar-bidding-rules-caps-single-bidder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solar</a> projects in 2023.</p>
<p>In four separate notifications amending the guidelines for solar, wind, wind-solar hybrid, and firm and dispatchable energy projects with energy storage, the Ministry said for location-specific bids, procurers must specify the substation in the interstate or intrastate transmission systems-connected renewable energy projects.</p>
<p>If a generator fails to meet the minimum capacity utilization factor (CUF) in the power purchase agreement (PPA) for two years, the yearly obligation will be reduced to the average of the actual CUF for those years.</p>
<p>Generators must pay the procurer lump sum damages equivalent to 24 months or a balance PPA period, whichever is less, for the yearly minimum CUF obligation reduction. Generators failing to pay lump sum damages will be considered defaulters, resulting in the PPA’s termination.</p>
<p><strong>Change in Law</strong></p>
<p>Provisions for change in the law must adhere to the Electricity Rules, 2021, and further amendments. The term &#8220;change in law&#8221; will refer to any project-related event that occurs within seven days before the final submission date.</p>
<p>PPAs and power sale agreements must be signed within 30 days of the letter of award (LoA). This period can be extended up to 12 months, beyond which the LoA will be canceled.</p>
<p>Distribution licensees must approach the appropriate authority for tariff adoption within 30 days of its discovery.</p>
<p><strong>Insurance Surety Bonds</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry has introduced a new instrument – insurance surety bonds &#8211; for meeting earnest money deposits and performance bank guarantees (PBGs).</p>
<p>Under these bonds, the PBGs can be encashed to recover any damages or dues from generators. The amount encashed from PBGs from defaulting generators will be credited to the payment security fund and must be maintained by the intermediary procurers.</p>
<p><strong>Technical specifications</strong></p>
<p>The Ministry has allowed procurers to specify technical criteria to encourage competition and ensure proper project implementation. Such criteria must be set after assessing the number of project developers expected to meet them to promote competition.</p>
<p>Developers must install and maintain GPS-enabled automatic weather stations per relevant central government agencies&#8217; technical specifications and standards.</p>
<p>The technical criteria must include provisions to ensure the developers’ compliance with applicable cyber security regulations, directives, and guidelines issued by authorities dealing with cyber security.</p>
<p>Solar and energy storage systems procurers must promote commercially established and operational technologies to minimize the technology risk and to achieve the timely commencement of supply from the projects.</p>
<p>The appropriate electricity regulatory commission must approve any essential deviation by the procurers from the guidelines before commencing the bidding process.</p>
<p>The commission must approve or mandate modifications to the bid documents within 60 days.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates </a>to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.</p>


Power Ministry Amends Bidding Guidelines for Renewable Energy Projects


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					</table><p>NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (<a href="https://www.nvvn.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NVVN</a>) has invited bids to develop 4.73 MW grid-connected rooftop solar systems at various locations under the Bhakra Beas Management Board (<a href="https://www.bbmb.gov.in/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBMB</a>).</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is November 12, 2024. Bids will be opened on November 13.</p>
<p>Bidders must pay a bid security of ₹2 million (~$23,789).</p>
<p>The successful bidders will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, civil construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of the rooftop solar systems, connecting to existing mains/ACDB/feeder pillars and interfacing internal electrical loads of the project’s license’s network/electrical loads.</p>
<p>They must also perform a preliminary visual assessment of the roof, arrange for water and electricity, determine the optimal capacity for installing solar systems, and operate and maintain the rooftop solar systems for five years which can be extended for another five years at the discretion of NVVN.</p>
<p>The modules and inverters/PCU must be purchased from Class-I suppliers. Solar modules with a minimum capacity of 540 Wp must be used, and their yearly degradation factor must be less than 0.7%.</p>
<p>The modules must be warranted for their output peak watt capacity, which should be at least 90% at the end of ten years and 80% at the end of 25 years.</p>
<p>Only Class-I and Class-II local suppliers can participate in this tender.</p>
<p>Before submitting bids, bidders are advised to visit the site and collect the information required to install the solar systems.</p>
<p>NVVN recently <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-subsidiary-6-32-mw-solar-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to develop 3.92 MW of rooftop and 2.4 MW of ground-mounted solar power projects at NTPC stations Simhadri and Ramagundam in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.</p>
<p>In September, it <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nvvn-issues-rate-contract-tenders-for-rooftop-solar-systems" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> tenders to select and discover the lowest rates for rate contracts for the engineering, procurement, and construction of grid-connected rooftop solar systems of various capacities on government and private buildings. Successful bidders must operate and maintain the rooftop solar systems for ten years.</p>


NVVN Tenders 4.73 MW Rooftop Solar Systems for Bhakra Beas Management Board


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					</table><p>The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (<a href="https://www.rmc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RMC</a>) has invited bids from consultants for the survey, erection, testing, and commissioning of a 4 MW ground-mounted off-grid solar power project along with operations and maintenance (O&amp;M) of up to 25 years.</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is January 25, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.</p>
<p>The estimated amount for the project is ₹6,000,000 (~$73,439).</p>
<p>To enter the bid, a tender fee of ₹3,000 (~$36.7) must be submitted. Bidders must also furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹60,000 (~$734).</p>
<p>Bidders must have experience of a minimum of five years of providing consultancy services to solar power projects. In the case of a firm, it must have at least one professional having such experience.</p>
<p>Bidders must have experience in completing consultancy of at least one ground-mounted solar power project, having a total minimum capacity of 2 MW for any government/semi-government or public sector.</p>
<p>A Chartered Accountant Certificate showing financial turnover of the last seven financial years should be furnished and must equate to a minimum of 50% of the tender amount, i.e., ₹3,000,000 (~$36,719).</p>
<p>Software for analysis of the potential of energy generation at the location, such as PVSyst /Helioscope or equivalent, should be available with the bidder.</p>
<p>Recently, TUSCO, a joint venture between THDC India and Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Development Agency, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tusco-invites-bids-for-consultants-for-floating-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to appoint a consultant to prepare pre-feasibility and detailed project reports for the development of floating solar power projects in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p>In December last year, Gujarat Urban Development Company <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gujarat-consultancy-tender-150-mw-of-solar-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to select a consultant for the development of 150 MW of solar power projects under a captive model to cover the energy demands of the urban local bodies in the state.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker </a>for timely updates on all solar tenders issued by various agencies in India.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Gujarat Invites Bids from Consultants for 4 MW Solar Project

<p>The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="https://www.merc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MERC</a>) has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to study and evaluate the price of fuel for biomass and bagasse-based power projects in Maharashtra.</p>
<p>The last date for the submission of bids is May 14, 2020, while the date of opening of bids has been scheduled for May 15, 2020.</p>
<p>Interested bidders (can be an agency, firm, or institution) must pay a sum of ₹100,000 (~$ 1,315) as the earnest money deposit (EMD). The scope of work includes visits to projects located at various districts of the state to assess and study the projects.</p>
<p>The successful bidder will also have to evaluate the potential availability of biomass and bagasse fuel, including its land price. The bidder is expected to prepare a detailed estimation of biomass/bagasse that is available for power production on a long-term sustainable basis, price escalation factor, and gross calorific value of the fuel.</p>
<p>According to the tender document, while working out the price of the fuel, due weightage should be given to the residual value of such fuel. The options on its possible alternate uses should also be mentioned.</p>
<p>The other works include the assessment of data from the Ministry of Agriculture or the agriculture department of state or center. The successful bidder needs to make a note of the trend of fuel availability and assess the prices for the existing biomass and bagasse power projects. The assessment needs to be done by verifying relevant records of the last three years.</p>
<p>The successful bidder will have to prepare an inception report, including a detailed fieldwork plan with timelines, monthly progress reports, and presentation of the progress of data collection and analysis. These reports need to be submitted to the Commission.</p>
<p>The overall work should be completed within six months from the date of the work order with four months for the completion of all data collection and analysis and two months for the finalization of the report and recommendations.</p>
<p>As far as the eligibility criteria are concerned, organizations and institutions that are interested in bidding for the project should be empaneled with the government of Maharashtra or should be a government or not-for-profit organization having experience in undertaking field surveys and fuel assessment studies. The average annual turnover of the firm should be ₹50 million (~$657,393).</p>
<p>The bidder must be well acquainted with the regulatory environment in the power sector and the functioning of the utility.</p>
<p>The successful bidder should adhere to the work plan strictly. If there is a delay of more than two weeks, then the bidder will have to pay a penalty of ₹10,000 (~$131.48) per week. However, the MERC reserves the right to waive off the penalty considering prevailing circumstances and reasons for the delay.</p>
<p>In January 2020, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-releases-list-technically-qualified-organizations-biogas-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercom</a> reported that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released a list of technically qualified organizations for independent third-party evaluation study for the New National Biogas and Organic Manure Program and the Biogas based Power Generation (Off-grid) and Thermal Energy Applications Program.</p>
<p>Earlier, it was reported that the MNRE had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mnre-seeks-bidders-for-an-evaluation-study-of-its-biogas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">issued</a> an expression of interest for an independent third-party evaluation study of its biogas-based power generation (off-grid) and thermal energy applications program.</p>


Maharashtra Seeks Bids to Study Fuel Price for Biomass, Bagasse-based Power Projects

<p>The Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), a public sector unit of the Government of India involved in financing all segments of power sector, has provided a ₹130 billion (~$2 billion) loan to Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd. (MAHAGENCO) for generation projects, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, STP, working capital and special loan requirements.</p>
<p>A MAHAGENCO official said, “The funds will be utilized to get the best out of each sector &#8211; solar, wind, and thermal. There are new technologies coming up and the funds will help MAHAGENCO develop the best facilities and projects.”</p>
<p>An official at REC commented, “They [MAHGENCO] can utilize the funds to set up any sort of power project, be it thermal or renewable. The motive of REC is to see that electricity reaches to the masses and we provide funds to states.”</p>
<p>When asked about financing renewable energy projects, the REC official added, “The plan is to make more projects viable by easy financing; we want to beat last year numbers, where REC financed 16 renewable energy projects in total.”</p>
<p>The REC is one of the major financers of renewable energy projects in India. During the financial year (FY) 2016-17, REC approved a loan totaling ₹20.9 billion (~$326 million)  to develop 11 grid-connected solar projects aggregating 280 MW, four small hydro power projects aggregating 61 MW, and a 26 MW wind energy project.</p>
<p>The MAHAGENCO has recently been tendering solar projects across the state of Maharashtra. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mahagenco-invites-expression-interest-develop-500-mw-solar-park-1500-mw-solarization-agriculture-feeder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In June</a>, MAHAGENCO invited an expression of interest from developers, engineering procurement construction contractors, and investors to develop a 500 MW solar park in Dondaicha and 1,500 MW of solar for agriculture feeders across the state. In July, it tendered <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mahagenco-tenders-150-mw-solar-maharashtra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">150 MW</a> and in August another <a href="https://mercomindia.com/mahagenco-tenders-110-mw-grid-connected-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">110 MW</a> of solar.</p>
<p>MAHAGENCO has been looking at solar as part of its solution to provide cheap electricity to farmers across the state. These funds may ensure the success of the solar program being undertaken by MAHAGENCO in Maharashtra.</p>
<p>Image credit: REC India</p>


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