The Cochin Port Trust has invited bids for setting up 1.5 MW (two projects of 0.75 MW) of grid-connected floating solar power projects in the backwaters, at the port’s Walkway Avenue between BOT junction and Kannangatt Bridge.

The contract will also include operations and maintenance (O&M) services for 25 years under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model. The scope of work includes design, engineering, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of the 1.5 MW of floating solar projects in the backwaters near the Walkway Avenue.

The port has been focusing on producing sustainable solar power to meet its energy requirements. It is also floating a tender for the development of a 350 kWp grid-connected roof top solar PV project at its premises.

The area available for the installation of the 1.5 MWp solar project is around 15,000 square metres, in terms of water bodies, and it is expected to generate ~1.5 MW of power.

The port has already installed 250 kWp solar plants at the roof tops of residential buildings and over the water storage tank of the main pump house premises at Willingdon Island. It now generates 3 to 3.5 lakh units of power from these plants, thus saving ₹20- 25 lakh per annum, the officials said.

When new plants become operational, the total plant capacity would be 2.10 MW, which is equivalent to 25 to 28 lakh units of power per annum, saving ₹1-1.5 crore per year.

The time period for the completion of the project has been set at eight months.

The financial eligibility criteria says that the average financial turnover of the bidder should not be less than ₹2.03 crore in the last three financial years ending March 31, 2019.

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