The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) has issued separate tenders to procure 342 MW of energy from grid-connected intrastate wind projects and 300 MW from interstate and intrastate wind projects.

342 MW wind power procurement 

The projects will be selected through e-bidding followed by an e-reverse auction process.

The last date to submit online bids is December 16, 2021. The ceiling tariff has been set at ₹2.65 (~$0.35)/kWh.

Bidders need to furnish ₹100,000 (~$1,330.84)/MW/project as the earnest money deposit (EMD) in the form of a bank guarantee along with the RfS.

Intrastate projects supplying power to MSEDCL under an existing electricity purchase agreement (EPA), which has expired or will expire on or before March 31, 2022, can participate in the bidding process.

The selection of projects would be technology agnostic. Only certified wind turbine models listed in the ‘revised list of models and manufacturers’ (RLMM) will be allowed to repower wind turbine generators.

Bidders must be wind power generators with an EPA with MSEDCL that has expired or will expire in the financial year 2021-22.

If the successful bidder is a consortium, it should incorporate a project company or a special purpose vehicle with equity participation by the members as per the consortium agreement before signing the power purchase agreement (PPA) with MSEDCL.

Limited liability companies can participate in the bidding. If selected as the successful bidder, the company must register under the Indian Companies Act, 1956 or Companies Act, 2013. After that, the PPA will be signed while keeping the original shareholder of the limited liability companies unchanged.

MSEDCL will sign a 12-year PPA with the successful bidders. The tariff payable to the successful bidders would remain the same for 12 years, as discovered through the e-bidding and e-reverse auction.

The successful bidder must provide real-time visibility of power generation to Maharashtra State Load Dispatch Center at Airoli, Navi Mumbai. The bidder must install a special energy meter with a telecommunication facility with an availability-based tariff feature per the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission/Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.

300 MW wind power procurement

The last date to submit bids for the 300 MW tender is December 20, 2021. The pre-bid meeting will take place on December 3.

Bidders must furnish ₹600,000 (~$7,989)/MW/project as EMD in the form of a bank guarantee along with the RfS.

The selection of projects will be technology agnostic. New wind projects can participate in the tender.

Intrastate projects commissioned but not having any long-term PPA with any agency and are selling power on a short-term basis will be considered. However, the projects must not have been accepted under other central or state programs and not have any obligations to existing buyers.

MSEDCL will sign a 25-year PPA with the successful bidder. The tariff payable to the successful bidders must be valid for 25 years, as discovered in the e-bidding and e-reverse auction process.

In August, MSEDCL issued requests for selection (RfS) to procure 500 MW wind power from intrastate wind power projects and 300 MW wind power from interstate and intrastate wind projects.

In October, Azure Power and Adani Green Energy were declared winners in MSEDCL’s auction to procure 300 MW of power from interstate and intrastate wind projects.

Harsh Shukla is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.

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