The Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) has issued a tender for 51 solar pumps with a cumulative capacity of 1.153 MW in Kargil.

The project is expected to cost around ₹20 million (~$271,531). Interested bidders are expected to make an earnest money deposit (EMD) of ₹400,000 (~$5,431).  Micro, small, and medium enterprises are only required to pay ₹5,000 (~$68) towards the EMD. The deadline for submitting bids is October 12, 2020.

The scope of work includes supplying, installing, and commissioning the solar pumps of various ratings at the required locations. This also includes providing controllers along with the solar pumps. The pumps must conform to the norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The work is expected to be completed within a year. The pump capacities would vary, ranging between 5 HP (Horsepower) to 40 HP.

The Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, will provide funds for the projects based on availability. To be eligible to place bids, applicants must have undertaken work orders for the supply, installation, and commissioning of at least one solar pumping system above 30 HP during the last three years.

Prospective bidders are expected to have had a minimum annual turnover of at least ₹10 million (~$135,765) in the last three financial years. They must have undertaken at least one single work order of at least ₹20 million (~$271,531) involving solar photovoltaics under any Indian Government department. KREDA said that preference would be given based on the amount of experience the bidder has with similar work.

Kargil is trying to utilize the sun optimally to become more sustainable. Recently, the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited had once again extended the bid submission deadline for its tender for 7.5 GW of grid-connected solar power projects slated to be developed in the districts of Leh and Kargil. The tender was originally issued in January 2019.

In 2019, Mercom reported that Leh and Kargil, two of India’s most difficult and inhospitable terrains, were connected to the national electricity grid. This feat, achieved after 72 years of independence, was made possible by the government’s PowerGrid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL), a state-run transmission utility.