The Uttarakhand Irrigation department has extended the last date for the submission of Request for Proposal (RfS) for its proposed tender for the installation of 40 MW of solar projects.

The tender floated in January 2019, called for the installation of projects on the periphery of Tumaria and Haripura dams under BOOT (build, own, operate) model, in Udhamsinghnagar district of Uttarakhand.

The tender date has been extended from March 22, 2019, to May 27, 2019, due to the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

Under this BOOT model, the bidder will build, own, and operate the solar project for a period of 25 years and later transfer the entire project to the state’s irrigation department in working condition.

Out of the tendered 40.84 MW capacity, 27.34 MW is slated to be installed at Haripura Jalasay while the remaining 13.50 MW will be installed at Tumariya Jalasaya.

The land will be provided by the state free of cost to set up the solar project by the bidder with the lowest tariff. The state’s irrigation department will sign the Power Purchase Agreement with the successful bidder.

The project completion time has been set at 12 months, and the estimated cost of the project is pegged at approximately ₹1.613 billion (~$22.69 million).

As was reported by Mercom earlier, interested bidders are required to quote single fixed tariff for 25 years, which should be less than or equal to ₹4.29/ kWh (~$0.060/kWh).

The solar tender and auction activity have slowed down considerably. Since the announcement of election dates, the central and state implementing agencies have issued very few tenders. The election commission’s approval is required for all the new projects and the stakeholders in the renewable energy sector, especially solar, seem to have mixed feelings regarding the ongoing impact of the general elections.