Hindustan Salts Limited (HSL), a so-called Indian public sector undertaking (PSU), and its subsidiary Sambhar Salts Limited (SSL) have called for Expressions of Intent for an aggregate of 200 MW PV capacity. While HSL wants to develop a 100 MW solar power plant in Kharaghoda region of Surendranagar district of Gujarat, SSL aims to have 100 MW capacity come up in Sambhar, Jaipur district of Rajasthan.
HSL manages salt sources at Sambhar, Didwana and Kharaghoda under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India.
The plants will come up on land provided by HSL and SSL. Power generated from the plant will be sold in the market, and revenue shared between the developer and the PSU.
The project location is in a region where temperatures during peak summer can run up to a maximum of 50°C and dust storms are also a norm. The solar power plants will need to be operated by the developer.
The expression of intent for both the tenders need to be submitted by January 19, 2017 which is also when the bids will be opened. Further details about this tender can be accessed on the HSL website. The Kharaghoda tender and Sambhar tender details can also be accessed here.
HSL joins other PSUs that are turning towards solar power either for captive consumption or to generate revenue. In September 2016, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited came out with a slew of tenders to develop solar PV (see BHEL Tenders). Another PSU in the field of mining, NLC Limited, plans to take its solar power generation capacity to 3,990 MW from the current 10 MW. In December 2016, it also tendered 500 MW PV capacity to come up in the state of Tamil Nadu (see 500 MW NLC Tender for Tamil Nadu).