The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for EPC contractors to develop a 125 MW solar park project.

The project will be developed on a turnkey basis in Ramnagar-II block located in the Purba Medinipur district. The contract will also include comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) of the project for three years. The last date for the submission of bids is June 30, 2020.

Last month, the state had floated a tender for the geotechnical investigation and measurement of the soil resistivity at the proposed 200 MW solar park in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. Funds from the German Bilateral Finance Cooperation and matching equity of the state government have been earmarked for the project. The estimated cost of this project is ₹2.3 million (~$30,707). The proposed 200 MW project is divided into two phases – 125 MW in the first phase and 75 MW in the second. The recent expression of interest is for the first phase of this project.

Interested bidders who want to take part in the bidding process should be adequately qualified for this construction assignment. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor should have adequate professional knowledge and long-term experience in constructing similar solar power projects in the past.

The bidders should be well-equipped and experienced in construction works in earthquake-prone regions and sites with extreme climate and weather conditions.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, West Bengal has nearly 94 MW of large-scale solar projects in operation, while 64 MW of projects are under development pipeline, as of March 2020.

In January this year, the state also floated a tender for 10 MW (AC) of solar projects. The projects will be developed at Chuasole and Kasturia Mouza in the Jhargram district of West Bengal. The estimated cost of the project is ₹494.2 million (~$6.93 million)

Previously, the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission had approved for the investment proposal for 70 MW of solar projects in four districts of the state, including Paschim Bardhaman, Purulia, Bankura, and Paschim Medinipur.