Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has issued a request for proposal (RfP) for commissioning a 1.5 MW hydroelectric power project and a 100 MW floating solar project at Morbe dam in Raigad, Maharashtra.

The required electricity generation per annum will be 10.80 million units (MU) from the hydroelectric power project and 208.8 MU from the floating solar project.

The floating solar project will be implemented in three phases – 40 MW, 30 MW, and 30 MW.

The last day to submit the bids is April 24, 2022. The bids will be opened on the same day.

The ceiling tariff for the entire project is ₹3.20 (~$0.042)/ kWh. The power purchase agreement (PPA) should be signed within 45 days of issuing a Letter of Award (LoA). The project should achieve financial closure within two hundred and ten days from the date of signing of the PPA.

Bidders must submit ₹20 million (~$263,747) in bank guarantee along with the bid documents and another ₹5 million (~$65,941) through online payment gateway as an earnest money deposit. Bidders must also pay a non-refundable tender fee of ₹4,900 (~$64.62).

Successful bidders must furnish ₹250 million (~$3.29 million) as a performance bank guarantee (PBG) within 30 days after issuance of LoA or before signing the PPA, whichever is earlier. PBG can be submitted in the ratio of 10%, 20%, 30% & 40%, i.e., ₹25 million (~$329,708), ₹50 million (~$659,417), ₹75 million (~$989,126) , and ₹100 million(~$1.31 million).

Bidders must have a positive net worth equal to or greater than ₹1.25 billion (~$16.48 million) as of March 31, 2021. Bidders must furnish certificates from chartered accountants certifying the net worth.

To be eligible for the floating solar project, bidders must have completed three solar power projects of a similar nature of a minimum of 40 MW each or should have completed two solar power projects of a minimum of 50 MW each. Alternatively, bidders could have also completed one 80 MW solar power project of similar nature.

To be eligible for the hydroelectric power project, bidders must have designed, built, and operated at least one hydroelectric power project using Kaplan turbines for hydropower generation in India, having a minimum capacity of 1 MW with a working head of at least 55 meters in the last ten years.

The facility should be in operation for at least five years from the commercial operation date at a minimum of 50% plant load factor. The facility should have generated 6.7 MU in at least one year in the last ten years.

The commercial operation date (COD) of the hydroelectric power project will be within 25 months from the date of signing of the PPA. The COD of the floating solar project will be within 17 months from the date of signing of the PPA.

A delay of one month in commissioning the project will be compensated with encashment of 10 % of PBG. Delay of more than one month but less than two months will lead to encashment of 20%, on top of the earlier 10%. A delay of more than two months but less than three months will lead to encashment of 30%, plus the early 20% and 10%. A delay of more than three months but less than four months will lead to encashment of the rest of PBG. A delay beyond four months will lead to the termination of the PPA.

Recently, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission had approved the introduction of hydropower in the Green Term-Ahead Market following a petition by the Indian Energy Exchange to facilitate the growth of hydropower in the country.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker, various agencies in Maharashtra have tended 1,167 MW of floating solar projects.