State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India has floated a tender for setting up grid-connected 30 MW of floating solar power projects on the reservoirs of Damodar Valley Corporation thermal power plants at Koderma, Mejia and Raghunathpur.
The tender handled by SECI will be a single stage two-envelope bidding process followed by e-reverse auction. The last date of submitting bids is August 1, 2022. A pre-bid meeting will happen on July 1.
A 14 MW unit is planned in Mejia and 10 MW at Raghunathpur in West Bengal, and a 6 MW solar plant will come up in Koderma, Jharkhand.
Eligibility conditions in the tender are as per 30 MW (AC) cumulative capacity and the bidders are required to quote accordingly for the complete cumulative capacity of 30 MW (AC). The total capacity of 30 MW will be awarded to a single bidder selected after e-reverse auction (e-RA).
The total price of engineering, procurement, construction and operation and maintenance arrived after the reverse auction will be converted to per MW price based on which the per site project EPC and O&M price will be calculated.
The procurement of solar modules and solar cells for the tender will be through Class I local suppliers meaning a service provider whose goods, services or works offered for procurement has local content equal to or more than 50 per cent.
Solar modules account for around 60-65 per cent of the overall cost of setting up a solar power project. The total capacity for manufacturing solar modules in the country, as on March 31, 2022, is about 11.5 gigawatts (GW).
As of December 2021, SECI has successfully awarded more than 50 GW of renewable capacity across the country, out of which 32.69 GW is solar power, 12.73 GW is wind power and 5.35 GW is hybrid power. Besides, it has operational capex projects of 21 MW capacity under its ownership and the company is looking to expand its portfolio in renewable energy.