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					</table><p>Prayagraj Division of <a href="https://ncr.indianrailways.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">North Central Railways</a> has invited bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement grid-connected rooftop solar projects of 5.525 MW capacity at its yards and workshops through public-private partnership and on a design, build, finance, operate, and transfer basis.</p>
<p>The projects would be developed in two capacity ranges— above 10 kW and up to 100 kW, and above 100 kW and up to 500 kW. Bidders can quote for one or both capacities.</p>
<p>The projects must be commissioned within 240 days of receiving the work order. The developers must also provide comprehensive operation and maintenance services for 25 years.</p>
<p>The last day to submit bids is November 21, 2023. Bids will be opened on the same day.</p>
<p>Bidders must furnish an earnest money deposit of ₹1.07 million (~$12,851)/ MW of the quoted capacity.</p>
<p>The selected bidders must submit a performance security of ₹1.6 million (~$19,217)/ MW within 30 days of signing the power purchase agreement (PPA).</p>
<p>The empanelment will be valid for one year, with the possibility of an extension for another year based on the developer’s performance and requests from zonal railways.</p>
<p>The generated solar power will be utilized solely by the Indian Railways through the net metering system.</p>
<p>The projects are to be developed at the divisions/workshops located at Agra (856 kW) Jhansi (3422 kW), CLMR (300 kW), RCNK (800 kW), and Prayagraj (138 kW).</p>
<p>Bidders must have experience installing a minimum aggregate 200 kW capacity of grid-connected solar rooftop systems as a developer or engineering procurement and construction (EPC) company.</p>
<p>Those with experience in installing and commissioning a minimum aggregate 1 MW capacity of any grid-connected systems as a developer or an EPC contractor in any sector such as residential, social, industrial, commercial, government, or any other client can also submit bids.</p>
<p>They must have had an average annual turnover of ₹15 million (~$180,160) during the last three years. They should also have had a positive net worth in all the last three financial years.</p>
<p>The successful bidder must enter into a 25-year PPA with the Railways after receiving the letter of award, which may also need to be signed at a divisional level if required by the public utilities or Zonal Railways.</p>
<p>The projects developed under the tender will not include any central financial assistance.</p>
<p>Railways has mandated using domestically manufactured modules listed on the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.</p>
<p>In July, North Central Railways <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/railways-5-5-mw-rooftop-solar-uttar-pradesh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids for state-wise empanelment of agencies to implement grid-connected rooftop solar power projects of 5.525 MW capacity.</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>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Arjun Joshi</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Arjun Joshi,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="86" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Arjun Joshi</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, he worked as a technical writer for enterprise resource software companies based in India and abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Optional English from Garden City University, Bangalore. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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Railways Invite Bids for 5.5 MW Rooftop Solar Projects in Uttar Pradesh


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					</table><p>GMR Smart Electricity Distribution (GSEDPL), a subsidiary of <a href="https://www.gmrpui.com/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GMR Power and Urban Infra</a>, has won the order to install, integrate and maintain 7.57 million smart meters across different regions in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p>Two state DISCOMs floated a total of three tenders for the smart meter projects in April this year, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam (<a href="https://puvvnl.up.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PVVNL</a>) for Varanasi, Azamgarh zone, and Prayagraj, Mirzapur zone and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam (<a href="https://www.dvvnl.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DVVNL</a>) for Agra and Aligarh zone.</p>
<p>GSEDPL quoted ₹75.93 billion (~$927 million) as the contract price. The company will sign a 10-year contract with DISCOMs to operate and maintain these smart meters.</p>
<p>Out of the total smart meters, 2.6 million will be installed in the Agra and Aligarh zone. Additionally, 2.7 million meters will be installed in Varanasi and Azamgarh, while the remaining 2.3 million smart meters will be deployed across Prayagraj and Mirzapur.</p>
<p>The Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project encompasses the supply, installation, integration, commissioning, and operation &amp; maintenance of smart meters on a Design-Build-Finance-Own-Operate-Transfer basis.</p>
<p>GMR Group said the project will be supported by advanced technology and software solutions to enable a fully automated system management process.</p>
<p>The project falls under the Revamped Distribution Sector Program and aims to minimize Aggregate Technical &amp; Commercial losses in the designated region while enhancing the operational and collection efficiency of Uttar Pradesh DISCOMS.</p>
<p>In October 2022, Energy Efficiency Services, as part of its Smart Meter National Program, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-eesl-installs-three-million-smart-meters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">installed</a> over three million smart meters in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, and Andaman. The company signed agreements with the state-designated agencies and utilities in these regions for the large-scale deployment of smart meters.</p>
<p>According to the data released by the National Smart Grid Mission, Ministry of Power, in February 2022, 3.73 million smart meters were <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/smart-meter-installations-grow-steadily" target="_blank" rel="noopener">installed</a> nationwide out of the total allocated quantity of 11.16 million as of January 2022. Various agencies were yet to install the remaining 7.43 million smart meters that the government has allocated.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Gautamee Hazarika</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Gautamee,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
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<a href="gautamee@mercomindia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gautamee@mercomindia.com</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Picture1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">Gautamee</a> is a reporter at Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Gautamee was working as a multimedia news journalist at ThePrint in New Delhi. She has received her Bachelors in English Honors and Masters in English Literature from St.Stephen&#8217;s College, University of Delhi.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/gautamee-hazarika/" rel="noopener">More articles from Gautamee</a></div>
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GMR Bags Contract for 7.57 Million Smart Meter Installations in Uttar Pradesh

<p>The <a href="https://www.aai.aero/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Airports Authority of India</a> (AAI) has issued a tender for a 500 kW of solar power project at the Civil Aviation Training College (CATC), located at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The project will follow the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC); the AAI has specified.</p>
<p>The last date for the submission of the bids is August 27, 2019, with the bid opening date scheduled for August 28, 2019.</p>
<p>The estimated cost of the project is ₹21,991,525 (~$309,699) excluding the Goods and Service Tax (GST), and the time given for the completion of the work is six months.</p>
<p>Interested bidders need to pay ₹439,831 (~$6,194) as the earnest money deposit.</p>
<p>Some of the prerequisites from the prospective bidders include that the contractor should have completed at least three projects, each of ₹1,038,000 (~$14,617) or two projects, each of ₹12,975,000 (~$182,722) and ₹2,07,60,000 (~$292,355) in a single contract of a similar nature of work during the last seven years.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes the site survey, shadow analysis, complete design, engineering, manufacture, supply, storage, insurance, testing, and commissioning of the grid-connected ground-mounted solar PV project.</p>
<p>For the technical specifications, the interested bidder should make sure that the grid-tied solar ground or rooftop-mounted solar power project consists of SPV array, module mounting structure, power conditioning unit, inverter and maximum power point tracker (MPPT). The PV array should be mounted on a suitable structure. Grid-tied SPV system will be without a battery and should be designed with necessary features to supplement the grid power during daytime.</p>
<p>Components and parts used in the SPV power projects, including the PV modules, metallic structures, cables, junction box, and switches, should conform to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) or other international specifications. The PV modules used should be made in India.</p>
<p>Previously, Mercom analyzed how solar – not black coal – is beginning to power classrooms, dormitories, and canteens of multitudes of educational institutions across the country. Read more about it <a href="https://mercomindia.com/schools-colleges-going-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>The AAI, which comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is a statutory authority responsible for the creation, management, and up-gradation of civil aviation infrastructure in India.</p>
<p>This tender shows AAI’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral. AAI is seeking to use sustainable solar power to fuel operations and cut down on energy expenditure.</p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/vijayawada-airport-solar-installation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vijayawada International Airport</a> joined the growing list of solar-powered airports in the country with the official launch of its 1 MW project. The project was set up by the Airports Authority of India at an estimated cost of ₹55.4 million (~$78,118).</p>
<p>In May this year, the AAI issued a notice inviting contractors for the operation and annual comprehensive maintenance of a 300 kW solar PV power project in <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aai-tender-solar-project-prayagraj/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Prayagraj</a>. The estimated value of the tender was pegged at ₹2.44 million ($35,184) without GST, and an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹48,881 ($704) was required from interested parties.</p>
<p>Image Credit: Suntech Power</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/anjana/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Anjana Parikh</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Anjana2.png" width="112" height="121" />Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.</p>
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AAI Issues Tender for a 500 kW Solar Project at Civil Aviation College in Uttar Pradesh

<p>The Airports Authority of India (<a href="https://www.aai.aero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AAI)</a> has issued a notice inviting contractors for the operation and annual comprehensive maintenance of a 300 kW solar PV power project.</p>
<p>The tender is for a three-year period, with the project located in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The estimated value of the tender has been pegged at ₹2.44 million ($35,184) without GST, and an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹48,881 ($704) will be required from interested parties.</p>
<p>The AAI notification states that the completion period for the project will be 36 months. The last date for bid submission has been set for June 4, 2019, with the opening of technical bids on June 11.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes the site survey, shadow analysis, complete design for optimal use of space, engineering, manufacturing, supply, storage, insurance, civil work, erection, testing, and commissioning of the grid-connected solar PV project, along with its maintenance services.</p>
<p>To use solar as a low-cost and renewable source of power to fuel operations at various airports across India, AAI has in the recent past issued several tenders across airports in India.</p>
<p>For example, AAI recently tendered an 8 MW grid-connected solar PV project at Hubballi airport in Karnataka., while in November 2018 it had tendered a 1 MW grid-connected solar PV project at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aai-epc-tender-4-mw-solar-odisha/">Mercom</a> had reported.</p>
<p>Previously, AAI had invited bids for an engineering consultancy to prepare for a 5 MW ground-mounted solar PV project proposed at <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aais-new-tender-consultancy-5-mw-solar-calicut-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Calicut Airport</a>.</p>
<p>AAI was also on the lookout for a consultant to prepare a detailed project report for a 4 MW ground-mounted solar PV project proposed at <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aai-consultants-report-4mw-solar-trichy-airport/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trichy airport</a>.</p>
<p>In Odisha, it had issued a tender for an EPC contractor to develop a 4 MW grid-connected solar project at Biju Patnaik International Airport in <a href="https://mercomindia.com/aai-epc-tender-4-mw-solar-odisha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bhubaneshwar.</a></p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/soumik/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Soumik Dutta</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="wp-image-13449 alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Soumikimage-e1556814790294-275x300.jpg" alt="" width="93" height="102" />Soumik is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, Soumik was a correspondent for UNI, New Delhi covering the Northeast region for seven years. He has also worked as an Asia Correspondent for Washington DC-based Hundred Reporters. He has contributed as a freelancer to several national and international digital publications with a focus on data-based investigative stories on environmental corruption, hydro power projects, energy transition and the circular economy. Soumik is an Economics graduate from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University.</p>
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