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					</table><p>Tenders amounting to about 70 GW were issued for developing utility-scale solar projects in 2024.</p>
<p>Here is a list of top utility-scale solar tenders from the year:</p>
<p><strong>#1</strong> The largest tender in 2024 was for 8,000 MW ground-mounted solar power projects <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/rajasthan-invites-bids-solar-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> by Rajasthan Urja Vikas and IT Services in Rajasthan. The projects must be situated within Rajasthan, including solar parks, while the pooling substation must connect to the state transmission utility (STU). Each project should be designed for interconnection with the nearest substation of the STU at a voltage level of 33 kV or higher.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-74809 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-2000x300.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-2048x307.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-650x98.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1-solar-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p><strong>#2</strong> Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL) <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/uttar-pradesh-discom-invites-solar-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids from project developers to set up 2,000 MW of grid-connected solar power projects under the build-own-operate and maintain model for 25 years. The ceiling tariff for the projects was set at ₹2.70 (~$0.03)/kWh.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-74810 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-2000x300.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-2048x307.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-650x98.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2-solar-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p><strong>#3</strong> NTPC floated a tender to develop 1,500 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects (Tranche III). The auction for this tender was <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-tranche-iii-solar-auction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">held</a> in May 2024.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-74832 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--scaled.jpg 2560w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--2000x300.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--2048x307.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--650x98.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/3-solar-tender--600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p><strong>#4 </strong>The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/seci-tender-1-5-gw-ists-solar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to develop 1,500 MW of ISTS-connected solar power projects in under Tranche XIV. The project developer’s responsibilities included identifying suitable land, installing and owning the project, and securing connectivity and requisite approvals for interconnection with the ISTS network/STU or intra-state transmission system (InSTS) network, as applicable, to supply power to SECI.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-74812 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-2000x300.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-2048x307.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-650x98.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/4-solar-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></p>
<p><strong>#5 </strong>NHPC issued a tender for developing 1.2 GW ISTS-connected solar power projects with a greenshoe option of an additional 1.2 GW (Tranche-IX). The solar power from these projects will be purchased by NHPC and sold to the state utilities/DISCOMs or any other beneficiaries.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-74813 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-2000x300.jpg 2000w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-2048x307.jpg 2048w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-650x98.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/5-solar-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></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 the real-time tender activity.</p>


India’s Top Five Utility-Scale Solar Tenders in 2024 [Infographics]


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					</table><p>According to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/research">Mercom India Research</a>, nearly 51 GW of solar tenders were floated in 2023.</p>
<p>Here is a curated list of top solar tenders from the year:</p>
<p>The largest tender floated in 2023 was by <a href="https://www.nhpcindia.com/">NHPC</a>, which <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/nhpc-bids-3-gw-ists-connected-solar-projects">invited</a> bids to develop 3,000 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects across the country. Under this, the bidders had to submit bids for a minimum capacity of 50 MW and multiples of 10 MW thereafter. A bidder could offer to develop projects at multiple locations, with each project having a minimum capacity of 50 MW and the cumulative capacity offered not exceeding 1,000 MW.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61630 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1.jpg" alt="" width="1667" height="250" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1.jpg 1667w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-650x97.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-1-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
<p>Solar Energy Corporation of India (<a href="https://www.seci.co.in/">SECI</a>) floated the second largest tender to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/seci-floats-2-gw-solar-projects-in-india">select</a> developers for setting up 2 GW ISTS-connected solar projects (Tranche XI) in India. The power purchase agreement for the projects will be valid for 25 years from the scheduled commissioning date of the projects. The developers are expected to commission the project’s total capacity within 18 months from the effective PPA date. Power procured by SECI from the concerned projects has been provisioned to be sold to different buying entities in India.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61631 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2.jpg" alt="" width="1667" height="250" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2.jpg 1667w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-650x97.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-2-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ntpc.co.in/">NTPC</a> issued the third-largest tender to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/ntpc-tender-1-5-gw-ists-connected-solar-projects">set up</a> 1,500 MW of ISTS-connected solar power projects (Tranche-I) across India. The minimum capacity of each project was set at 50 MW, and the maximum capacity was 750 MW. The solar project developer was directed to maintain energy supply to achieve an annual supply corresponding to an annual capacity utilization factor of not less than 80% of the declared value and not more than 120% during the PPA duration of 25 years.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61632 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3.jpg" alt="" width="1667" height="250" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3.jpg 1667w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-650x97.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-3-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
<p>SJVN floated the fourth largest tender to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/sjvn-1-5-gw-ists-solar-projects">set up</a> 1,500 MW ISTS-connected solar power projects. Bidders were directed to offer a project capacity between 50 MW and 750 MW. However, for projects located in northeastern states and special category regions, the minimum capacity can be 30 MW. The responsibility for acquiring the necessary land for the project rested with the renewable project developer.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61633 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4.jpg" alt="" width="1667" height="250" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4.jpg 1667w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-650x97.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-4-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
<p>The fifth-largest tender was issued by <a href="https://www.pfcclindia.com/">PFC Consulting</a>, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation (PFC), which <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/pfc-consulting-ists-connected-solar-projects">invited</a> bids to commission 1,250 MW ISTS-connected solar projects under the program for flexibility in generating and scheduling of thermal-hydropower stations through bundling with renewable energy and storage. Bidders were directed to submit a single bid offering a minimum quantity of 300 MW and a maximum of 1,250 MW. The contracted capacity was to be quoted in multiples of 50 MW only.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-61634 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5.jpg" alt="" width="1667" height="250" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5.jpg 1667w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-300x45.jpg 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-768x115.jpg 768w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-1536x230.jpg 1536w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-650x97.jpg 650w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-624x94.jpg 624w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Solar-tender-5-600x90.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1667px) 100vw, 1667px" /></p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/">India Solar Tender Tracker</a> to stay on top of the real-time tender activity.</p>


India’s Top Five Solar Tenders in 2023 [Infographics]

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