100 MW PV Rooftop Tender From CEL

• CEL of India has floated a tender for 100 MW of solar rooftop to come up on government office buildings and railway stations
• Modules for these projects must be manufactured locally, while all other equipment can be sourced from anywhere
• Bidders would need to apply for projects in up to three states or 20 MW capacity
• Last date for bid submission is March 6, 2017

State-run Central Electronics Limited (CEL) has invited bids to set up 100 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems. It is scheduled to come up on office buildings and railway stations of zonal railways in different railways zones/production units. The tender capacity is for government buildings only.

These PV systems will be built in different states/union territories under the so-called RESCO model. It is a state wise bidding, however, CEL will be at liberty to transfer the capacity from one state to another state.

Successful bidders will have to source modules manufactured in India, the rest of the components can be procured from any country, provided these meet the technical specification and standards.

The job involves site survey, design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning. Operations and maintenance of these systems for the next 25 years post commissioning will also be a part of the task. Bidders can apply for projects in a maximum of three states or 20 MW capacity, provided they quote for the complete quantum for a state. The minimum size of each project is 50 kW.

While general category states get an incentive of 18,750 INR ($275.23) per kW, special category states will be eligible for 45,000 INR ($660.55) per kW.

Bidders will be required to offer year-on-year tariffs for 25 years from the date of commissioning of the project. This will then be levelized with a discounting rate of 11%. The lowest levelized tariffs for 25 years will be the basis on which capacity will be allocated.

The levelized ceiling tariff for sites falling under the general category states and union territories is 7.00 INR ($0.102) per kWh. For sites falling under the so-called special category states and islands, the ceiling tariff has been set as 4.82 INR ($0.070) per kWh.

CEL operates under the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR) in the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology.

The rooftop system should be up and connected within 15 months from the date of notification of award.

The RfS documents can be downloaded from the CEL website. The last date for the submission of bids is March 6, 2017, the same day as the opening of techno-commercial bid.

Tender details can be downloaded here.