The Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency’s (UPNEDA) 500 MW solar tender has been undersubscribed by 268 MW, according to Mercom’s sources.

The tariff ceiling set for this tender was ₹3.25 (~$0.046)/kWh. The list of bidders and their quoted capacities for the technical bidding round are as follows:

The non-availability of adequate evacuation facilities in the Bundelkhand region where the projects are to be developed could be a reason for the lack of interest from developers; the source told Mercom.

In September 2019, the UPNEDA had issued a request for proposal for the procurement of 500 MW of power from grid-connected solar PV projects. In the tender, it was stated that the capacity of each solar power project must be a minimum of 5 MW and the maximum capacity will be 500 MW and that the successful bidder would be responsible for supplying power to the procurer for 25 years under the power purchase agreement (PPA).

In July 2019, Mercom reported that only three bids by two bidders for 90 MW of capacity were submitted in response to another tender in the state for 500 MW of solar PV projects. In all, out of the 500 MW tendered, only 72 MW were to be developed. This was because as this tender was also undersubscribed, only 80% of the capacity that was bid for could be awarded. The state had tendered this capacity in January 2019 and set an upper tariff ceiling of ₹3.05 (~$0.043)/kWh. Due to the impending general elections then, the bid-submission deadline was extended.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, the state of Uttar Pradesh has ~972 MW of commissioned solar projects, while ~1.6 GW of projects is currently in the pipeline.