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					</table>REC Power Development and Consultancy (<a href="https://www.recpdcl.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RECPDCL</a>), a wholly owned subsidiary of <a href="https://recindia.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">REC Limited</a>, has issued a request for selection (RfS) of wind project developers for setting up 100 MW of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) connected wind power projects in India.
The projects will be developed under the program for flexibility in the Generation and Scheduling of Thermal/ Hydropower Stations through bundling with Renewable Energy and Storage Power notified by the Ministry of Power and on a Build-Own-Operate basis.
Bidders must submit their offers for a minimum project capacity of 50 MW and a maximum of 100 MW. The offers must be quoted in multiples of 10 MW only.
The selected developers will also be responsible for setting up the dedicated transmission network up to the interconnection or delivery point at their own cost. The minimum voltage for the interconnection at the ISTS must be 220 kV.
The last date to submit the bids is August 22, 2023. Bids will be opened on August 25.
Bidders must submit a bid processing fee of ₹500,000 (~$6,078) + 18% GST for each project and an earnest money deposit of ₹1.326 million (~$16,119)/MW/project of the quoted capacity.
The successful bidder must submit a performance bank guarantee of ₹1.989 million (~$24,180) /MW of the allotted capacity seven days before signing the power purchase agreement (PPA).
They must also pay ₹100,000 (~$1,216) /MW/ project of the allotted capacity + 18% GST to RECPDCL towards administrative overheads as success charges.
The projects must be commissioned within 18 months of signing the PPA.
The selected developers must sign a 25-year PPA with <a href="https://www.dvc.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Damodar Valley Corporation</a>. The power procured by Damodar Valley Corporation from these projects will be utilized to replace thermal power through existing PPAs of the corporation with various DISCOMs.
If the thermal generator is unable to replace the thermal power, the wind power can be sold in Exchange by DVC as per the provisions of the flexibility program.
Already commissioned projects will not be considered under this tender. Projects under construction or not yet commissioned would be considered only if they are not accepted under other central or state programs.
Only commercially established and operational technologies can be used to minimize the technology risk and achieve timely commissioning of the projects. The wind turbine models used for the project must be listed in the Revised List of Models and Manufacturers issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The project’s declared capacity utilization factor must not be less than 22%. The project developer must maintain the generation so as to achieve an annual CUF of not less than 80% and not more than 120% of the declared value during the PPA term.
The net worth of the bidders should be equal to or greater than ₹13.26 million (~$161,207) /MW of the quoted capacity as of the last date of the previous financial year.
They must have a minimum annual turnover of ₹5.19 million (~$63,097) /MW of the quoted capacity during the previous financial year. Alternatively, they can submit proof for internal resource generation capability in the form of Profit Before Depreciation, Interest, and Taxes for a minimum amount ₹1.376 million (~$16,728) / MW of the quoted capacity as of the last date of the previous financial year. They can also submit an in-principal sanction letter from lending institutions or banks committing a line of credit for a minimum amount of ₹1.3 million (~$15,805) /MW of quoted capacity towards meeting the working capital requirement of the quoted project.
Foreign companies are also allowed to participate in the tender, condition that they form a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ (SPV), which must be an Indian company registered under the Companies Act 2013 as its subsidiary company, with at least 51% shareholding in the SPV, before signing the PPA.
The Ministry of Power has recently <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/bidding-guidelines-wind-power-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> new guidelines for the tariff-based competitive bidding process for procurement power from grid-connected wind power projects to boost renewable capacity and meet the distribution licensee’s renewable purchase obligation.
In May 2023, RECPDCL <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/rec-bids-empanel-consultants-solar-projects-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> bids to empanel consultants to undertake project management consultancy services for solar projects (floating solar and ground-mounted) at various locations across India for two years.
Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://www.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.

REC Issues Tender for 100 MW ISTS-Connected Wind Projects

<a href="https://www.inoxwind.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inox Wind</a> has signed an EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) agreement with Continuum Power Trading (<a href="https://www.continuumenergy.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TN</a>) Private Limited, a part of the Continuum Wind Energy group.
Based on the term sheet signed between the two companies, Inox will supply, erect and commission 250 MW of wind power projects in Gujarat. According to the company’s Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) filing, the projects are divided into two phases of 126 MW and 124 MW.
Srijan Energy Systems, the subsidiary of Continuum Wind Energy, had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-2gw-wind-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">won</a> the bid to develop 250 MW of projects quoting ₹2.51 (~$0.0386)/kWh in Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) 2 GW auction of Interstate Transmission System (ISTS)-connected wind power projects under Tranche-IV.
According to the company’s statement, the first phase of 126 MW is scheduled to be commissioned by Q3 of the financial year (FY) 2021 at Dayapar in Bhuj district of Gujarat. The project will be executed on a turnkey project basis, and Inox will provide Continuum Power with end-to-end solutions along with long-term operations and maintenance services.
“Common infrastructure such as 220 kV pooling substation at Dayapar, 220 kV bay at Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) Nirona End, 220 kV transmission line for 72 km is ready, and the project will be executed on a plug and play basis,” the company states.
A senior executive of Inox Wind told Mercom that the term sheet will have the gist of the contract though the “tariff for the project is yet to be ascertained.”
“Due to the shift from earlier regulations, some of our projects, especially those that were almost on the verge of completion or at the commissioning stage, suffered as the cash flow was almost nil, especially in the financial year (FY) 2017-18. Now, we’re slowly recovering from it and have around 850 MW of wind projects in the pipeline,” the executive added.
Further, he said that all the wind projects of Inox Wind are concentrated in Gujarat.  “This is mainly due to the availability of revenue lands, and the capacity utilization factor (CUF) in Gujarat is also good.”
There are only two states in India that have a good CUF—Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
“Although both the states have the advantage of being located along the coastal line, Gujarat is more feasible due to the availability of revenue land while in Tamil Nadu, there are more private lands,” said the official from Inox Wind.
In November 2019, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-2gw-wind-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that SECI granted an extension to Inox Wind for the scheduled commissioning of 250 MW of wind power projects in Gujarat. The projects being developed under SECI’s Tranche I program were to be connected to the ISTS network.
Inox Wind has also won the bid to develop 40 MW of wind projects in Gujarat, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/gujarats-1000-mw-wind-auction-2-80-kwh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quoting</a> ₹2.95 (~$0.0421)/kWh. The auction was held by Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) for 1,000 MW of grid-connected wind power projects.
According to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/research-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercom India Research</a>, SECI has auctioned 9.3 GW of wind projects under SECI’s ISTS Tranche I to Tranche VIII program.

Inox Wins EPC Contract for 250 MW of Wind Projects by Continuum Power

To encourage investments in wind power projects and to provide clean energy at affordable prices, the <a href="http://moef.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change</a> has decided to relax the lease rent of ₹30,000 (~$417)/MW charged for wind projects.
The decision was taken during a review meeting held recently in New Delhi.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that it is expected that the step taken will boost the investment in wind power projects and will help in providing wind power at a cheaper rate.
“The government envisages to meet maximum energy requirement by tapping renewal energy resources and to achieve the target of clean energy in a time-bound manner, various policies and regulations are being constantly updated,” he said.
According to the government, at present, to establish wind power project over forest land, the existing procedure requires payment of mandatory charges for compensatory afforestation and Net Present Value (NPV). In addition to the mandatory charges, the wind power companies had to pay an additional lease rent of ₹30,000 (~$417)/ MW.
However, this additional cost is not mandatory for other renewable energy projects such as solar power and hydroelectric projects. The additional cost for the generation of clean energy through wind power, in turn, escalate the per-unit price of power.
As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/physical-progress-achievements" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MNRE</a>) report, the achievement of state-wise installed capacity of wind power projects between April to July 2019 totals approximately 1 GW, and the cumulative installation adds up to about 37 GW.
In July 2019, the state of <a href="https://mercomindia.com/wind-curtailment-andhra-ppa-revision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andhra Pradesh</a> grabbed headlines due to the ongoing spat between the state government and developers. The situation escalated when the newly elected chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy’s government decided to cut down the costs in all the high-priced power purchase agreements (PPA) for wind and solar power projects signed during the term of the former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu-led government.
In April 2019, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/51-gw-wind-projects-installed-globally-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mercom</a> had reported that nearly 51 GW of wind projects were installed globally in 2018 wherein, India installed 2.2 GW of wind in the same year.
&nbsp;

Environment Ministry Relaxes Lease Rent on Wind Power Projects

The Karnataka State Government has annulled a Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (<a href="http://www.karnataka.gov.in/kerc/Pages/home.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KERC</a>) order requiring them to sign wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) in the state. The Karnataka State Government in its order to the KERC invoked Section 108 of the Electricity Act 2003.
Section 108 of the Electricity Act allows the state government to get involved in policy when it is in the public interest.
The state government has directed KERC to approve PPAs at the rate of ₹4.50 (~$0.069)/kWh for 270.50 MW of wind projects. The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) will enter into PPAs for projects aggregating 100.50 MW and Hubli Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) will enter into PPAs for 170 MW of projects.
The state government also stated that for wind projects to be commissioned before March 31, 2018, developers will enter into PPAs with the state distribution companies (DISCOMs) at a tariff of ₹3.74 (~$0.058)/kWh, fixed by the KERC. The developer will have to pay ₹2 million (~$30,757)/MW as bank guarantees to Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) for the projects to be commissioned from September 4, 2017, to March 31, 2018, the control period fixed in the revised tariff order of the KERC.
Background
KERC identified a need for a mid-term tariff revision to ensure that consumers get the benefit of lower cost wind power generation. KERC then invited comments on the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/kerc-invites-comments-regarding-mid-term-tariff-revision-wind-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discussion paper</a> ‘Revision of Generic Tariff for Wind Power Projects and Mandatory Procurement of Wind Power through Bidding.
In <a href="https://mercomindia.com/kerc-sets-%E2%82%B93-74kwh-benchmark-tariff-wind-projects-karnataka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">September</a>, KERC fixed ₹3.74 (~$0.058)/kWh as the generic tariff for wind projects in Karnataka to be applicable through March 31, 2018.
In a <a href="https://mercomindia.com/kerc-submit-wind-ppas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> addressed to the Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, KERC noted, “The additional capacity of 242.50 MW from wind projects that have been commissioned up to March 31, 2017, is not substantial and will not cause considerable grid disruption. The KERC, therefore, decides to approve the PPAs signed by BESCOM and HESCOM, subject to the project developers opting for a tariff of ₹3.74 (~$0.058)/kWh.
Cause
According to KERC, increasing procurement from wind power projects in the state is not good for their financial health and they insist that wind PPAs already signed will be sufficient to meet the state renewable purchase obligation (RPO) for the current financial year as well as another couple of years. DISCOMs also say that procurement of power from such sources will lead to a violation of long-term PPAs with thermal power projects, resulting in payments of fixed charges to thermal power projects, and increased costs of power for consumers.
DISCOMs in the past have defaulted on payments to the renewable energy generating units due to cash flow constraints. The PPAs signed at ₹4.50 (~$0.069)/kWh will aggravate the problem as DISCOMs will have to pay two parties and they are already struggling with debt.

Karnataka Government Annuls KERC Order Requiring State to Approve Wind PPAs

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a tender for 100 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS) connected wind projects, and only Central Public-Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are allowed to participate.
For each wind power project, developers will be allowed to submit bids for a maximum capacity of 100 MW and a minimum capacity of 50 MW. The wind projects vary in size from 50 MW to 100 MW and will be developed on a build, own and operate basis. The power they produce will be sold to the SECI.
The scope of work includes the construction of both the wind project and the transmission network up to the grid connection point. All approvals, permits, and clearances required for development and connectivity – including those required by state and local governments – will be the developer’s responsibility. The maintenance of the transmission system up to the interconnection point will also be the responsibility of wind power project developer.
The SECI has stated that the tariff of <a href="https://mercomindia.com/wind-becomes-competitive-solar-tariff-drops-record-low-%E2%82%B92-64-kwh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">₹2.64 (~$0.0413)/kWh</a> quoted in the second, 1 GW wind auction will be the tariff that is applied to the 100 MW of wind projects. The successful bidder will be chosen on a first-come-first-serve basis based on the order of bid submissions.
The SECI <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-tenders-1000-mw-ists-connected-wind-projects-tranche-ii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously</a> said that an additional 100 MW of capacity could be awarded to CPSEs that are willing to undertake the development of ISTS-connected wind power projects on a “build, own, operate” basis without participating in the bidding process; however, such an allocation would be set at the lowest bid tariff from the reverse auction.
SECI will enter into 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the successful bidders and power sale agreements (PSAs) with the interested buying entities. Buying entities will be responsible for all transmission charges and losses, as well as any other charges as applicable under the respective regulations beyond the delivery point and up to the withdrawal point.
The <a href="https://mercomindia.com/advent-reverse-auctions-wind-player/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advent of reverse auctions</a> in the wind sector has brought down tariffs very quickly and wind power is now competitive with solar in terms of tariff in India.
According to MNRE, cumulative wind power installations in India had reached 32.6 GW as of August 2017.
&nbsp;

SECI Tenders 100 MW of Wind for Central Public-Sector Enterprises

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has issued an advisory to the state government of Karnataka, asking it to direct all distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the state not to enter into any new power purchase agreements (PPAs) with wind power projects until further review by the KERC.
The KERC stated that increasing procurement from wind power projects in the state is not good for financial health of state DISCOMs and wind PPAs already signed will be sufficient to meet the state renewable purchase obligation (RPO) for the current financial year as well as another couple of years. The KERC further stated, wind power tariffs have seen periodic upward revisions unlike solar.
The KERC also noted that recently DISCOMs in the state signed PPAs with wind power projects tendered by the government. Power from these projects can be sold only to DISCOMs in Karnataka per government regulations. Procurement of power from such sources will lead to violation of long-term PPAs with thermal power projects, resulting in payments of fixed charges to thermal power projects and increased costs of power for consumers.
The commission found that currently DISCOMs in the state are defaulting on payments to renewable energy generating units due to cash flow constraints.
The new PPAs if signed will aggravate the problem as DISCOMs will have to pay two parties and they are already struggling with debt, stated a KERC official. This is just an advisory; if the government thinks it is feasible and developers want to, they can go ahead and sign PPAs, but later there might be tariff issues, and that’s why the KERC has come out with this advisory, added the KERC official.
The KERC has mentioned wind, not solar, as solar is much cheaper than wind and it won’t affect consumers, added the KERC official.
According to Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL), Karnataka has ~ 7.2 GW of total installed capacity from renewable energy sources, with 3.8 GW of Wind, as of March 2017.

Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission Issues Advisory Asking DISCOMs Not to Sign New PPAs with Wind Project Developers in Karnataka

In the financial year (FY) 2016-17, renewable energy projects totaling 11,319.71 MW were installed in India, this was 5,340 MW less than the targeted capacity. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had set a renewable energy installation target of 16,660 MW for the FY 2016-17.
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/RE_target_vs_Installations_Mar_2017.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5491 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/RE_target_vs_Installations_Mar_2017.png" alt="" width="381" height="227" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/RE_target_vs_Installations_Mar_2017.png 381w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/RE_target_vs_Installations_Mar_2017-300x179.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px" /></a>
Overall only 62 percent of the target set by MNRE was achieved. Wind power and waste to power were the only two renewable sources that exceeded their targets. In all, 5,502.38 MW of wind was installed against a target of 4,000 MW and 23.50 MW of waste to power projects were installed against a target of 10 MW.
The solar sector crossed the 5 GW installation mark in the financial year, but fell short of the set target by 6,474 MW. The MNRE had set a target of 12,000 MW, but only 5,525.98 MW of solar could be installed.
Small hydro did not see much growth in FY 2016-17, there was a year-over-year decline of 52 percent in the installations of small hydro in India. Bio power also saw a decline of 60 percent year-over-year.

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