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					</table><p>Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (<a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/energy-department/rvunl/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RVUNL</a>) has issued a tender to select solar project developers to set up 810 MW of state transmission utility-(STU) connected solar power projects on a build-own-operate basis in RVUNL’s Ultra Mega Solar Park in Bikaner.</p>
<p>The tender was issued in November but was immediately canceled thereafter.</p>
<p>RVUNL will enter into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the selected bidder for 25 years from the scheduled commissioning of the project, and the generated power will be supplied to the state DISCOMs.</p>
<p>The selected developer will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project for the PPA duration.</p>
<p>The grid-connected solar projects will be set up in RVUNL’s 2 GW Ultra Mega Solar Park, being developed at villages Ramsar Chhota, Barala, and Bandrewala.</p>
<p>The selected developer must commission the solar project within 15 months of the PPA signing date.</p>
<p>The last day to submit the bids is February 22, 2023. Bids will be opened on February 24.</p>
<p>Bidders must submit a tender processing fee of ₹1 million (~$12,097) plus GST and an earnest money deposit of ₹720 million (~$8.71 million).</p>
<p>The selected project developer must furnish a contract performance security of ₹1.44 billion (~$17.42 million) within 30 days of the letter of intent and before signing the PPA.</p>
<p>The solar project should be designed for interconnection with the pooling substation at the solar park through a dedicated cable at a voltage level of 33 kV.</p>
<p>The cost of transmission from the project up to the interconnection point, wheeling charges, and losses will be borne by the project developer and will not be reimbursed.</p>
<p>Bidders should have a minimum average annual turnover of ₹4.05 billion (~$49 million) for the last financial year. Their net worth should be equal to or greater than ₹7.2 billion (~$87.12 million) at the end of the financial year 2021-22.</p>
<p>Bidders must also have an internal resource generation capability in the form of Profit Before Depreciation, Interest, and Taxes for a minimum of ₹810 million (~$9.8 million) at the end of the financial year 2021-22. They must also have an in-principle sanction letter from lending institutions committing a line of credit for a minimum of ₹1.01 billion (~$12.22 million) towards meeting the working capital requirement.</p>
<p>The modules used in the project must be from the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers published by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.</p>
<p>The declared annual capacity utilization factor (CUF) should in no case be less than 19%, and the successful bidder must maintain generation to achieve annual CUF within + 10% and -15% of the declared value till the end of ten years from commissioning. This is subject to the yearly CUF remaining at a minimum of 15% and within +10% and &#8211; 20% of the declared value of the annual CUF until the end of the PPA duration.</p>
<p>The project developer would be free to sell any excess generation above the agreed CUF of 10% to either RVUNL or to sell it to any other entity, provided the first right of refusal rests with RVUNL. If accepted by the DISCOMs or beneficiaries, such excess energy may be purchased by RRVUNL for 75% of the tariff payable to the project developer.</p>
<p>In October, the Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam <a href="https://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/energy-department/rvunl/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> consultants to provide load and renewable energy generation forecasting and schedule optimizer services for two years. The consultants were required to help it prepare, plan and advise on energy portfolio management to provide 24×7 quality power to all consumers while minimizing the power purchase cost.</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> to stay on top of tender activity in real time.</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/satish-shetty/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Satish Shetty</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/Satish-pic-1.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Satish Shetty,</strong> Associate Editor at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/satish-shetty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Satish Shetty.</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Satish-pic-1.jpg" width="102" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/satish-shetty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Satish Shetty</strong></a> is an Associate Editor with Mercom India. Prior to Mercom, Satish was a multimedia news producer at Reuters, where he gained experience in digital news media. Satish has his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Broadcast Journalism from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia.<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/satish-shetty/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Satish Shetty.</a></div>
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Rajasthan Invites Bids for 810 MW of Solar Projects

<p>The Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (<a href="http://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/rvunl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RVUNL</a>) has not renewed the Power Purchase Agreements it had signed with wind generators, despite the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) passing an order to ensure continuity in renewable power purchases.</p>
<p>The PPAs, which expired in March 2019, have not been renewed yet.</p>
<p>Speaking to Mercom, the Indian Wind Power Association’s (<a href="http://www.windpro.org/contactus.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IWPA)</a> Rajasthan State Council’s Coordinator Santosh Kumar Sharma reiterated the development, saying, “The wind power developers in Rajasthan face the dual problem of PPAs not being signed, as well as dues to the tune of ₹8.43 billion ($122 million) from the DISCOMS of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Ajmer since September of 2018.”</p>
<p>The RVUNL has been consuming the power produced from these developers, but it has not renewed the PPAs, which were signed for a five-year term. The project term is for 25 years, with the industry norm of renewing PPAs every five years.</p>
<p>In March 2019, the Regulatory <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-amends-regulations-rec-and-rpo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Commission had issued new amendments</a> to its regulations on renewable energy certificate and renewable purchase obligation compliance framework. According to the amendment, for distribution licensees, the effective electricity component price applicable to the projects commissioned up to March 31, 2019 and covered under REC mechanism will be equal to the pooled cost of power purchase, which has been capped at average of pooled cost of power purchase for Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (<a href="http://energy.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/energy-department/jodhpur-vidyut-vitran-nigam-limited/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JdVVNL</a>) for the period from FY 2011-12 to FY 2016-17, at ₹3.14 (~$0.045)/kWh.</p>
<p>Later, in an interim order, the Rajasthan High Court had directed the state government to comply and ensure the renewal of PPAs along with the clearing of dues by the DISCOMs.</p>
<p>Speaking to media at Jaipur, Rajendra Vyas, president of Rajasthan Chapter, Indian Wind Power Association said, “Despite repeatedly taking up the matter with the DISCOMs, RERC, and even the state energy department and the minister concerned, no headway has been achieved so far.”</p>
<p>Rajasthan wind developers are facing the double whammy of payment delays and high deviation settlement charges making their projects unviable.</p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/court-upholds-deviation-settlement-rajasthan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercom</a> had reported that a petition filed by the Indian Wind Power Association had challenged the validity of the deviation settlement mechanism regulations passed by the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission and requested it to be scrapped. The members of <a href="https://mercomindia.com/court-upholds-deviation-settlement-rajasthan/">IWPA</a> had pleaded that the DSM charges were high and that they were major sufferers due to unscheduled power cuts, refusal to offtake power by the state power distribution companies despite good generation during peak hours.</p>
<p>In another instance, a group <a href="https://mercomindia.com/rajasthan-wheeling-solar-and-wind-captive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">of six independent power producers</a> had filed separate petitions before the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission for the settlement of disputes regarding the methodology adopted by the DISCOMs in levy of wheeling charges. The six petitioners, who are wind and solar energy generators for captive use, had entered into a Wheeling and Banking Agreement with the concerned DISCOMs.</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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Wind Generators in Rajasthan Face Payment Delays and Non-Renewal of PPAs

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