SECI has issued a call for renewable energy developers for ISTS-connected capacity
Its call for 1 GW grid-connected PV capacity under tranche XVIII may be accompanied by another 1 GW under a greenshoe option
ESS is mandatory for the 8,000 GWh FDRE tranche VI tender with 2,000 MW x 4-hour capacity
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has launched 2 new tenders seeking developers for the supply of renewable energy from inter-state transmission system (ISTS)-connected projects. While one of the projects seeks 1 GW solar PV capacity with an additional 1 GW under a greenshoe option, the other is for an assured peak supply of 8,000 MWh from renewable energy projects. Both the tenders were launched on September 12, 2024.
The call for the selection of solar power developers for 1 GW ISTS-connected PV capacity is tranche XVIII of SECI’s call for ISTS-connected solar projects. It may allocate and tie up additional capacity up to 1 GW under a greenshoe option.
These facilities can be located anywhere in India on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis. Interested bidders can submit a single bid with a minimum capacity of 50 MW and a maximum of 500 MW.
The broad scope of work comprises identification of land, installation and ownership of the project, setting up the ISTS-connected PV projects including the transmission network up to the interconnection/delivery point, at its own cost.
The last date to submit bids for this tender is October 4, 2024 for soft copy, and October 8, 2024 for hard copy.
SECI’s other tender is for the selection of renewable energy power developers for an assured peak supply of 8,000 MWh from Firm and Dispatchable Power from ISTS-Connected Renewable Energy (FDRE) tranche VI. This equates to 2,000 MW x 4 hours.
Under this request for selection (RfS) round, renewable energy power developers will set up ISTS-connected projects with energy storage systems (ESS) being mandatory, including transmission network up to the interconnection/delivery point.
The ESS may be owned by the developers or tied up separately with a 3rd party by the developer to supply power. The selection of renewable energy projects with a contracted 2 GW capacity will be carried out through an e-bidding process, followed by an e-reverse auction.
A single bid must have a minimum quantum of contracted capacity of 50 MW and a maximum quantum of 1 GW. The buying entity is mandated to offtake energy on a daily basis for which it can choose to schedule peak power supply as required.
“It is further clarified that the Buying Entities are mandated to off-take energy during Peak Hours @4 MWh for every 1 MW Contracted Capacity from the Project,” reads the RfS document.
The last date to submit a soft copy of the bid is October 14, 2024, and October 16, 2024 for the hard copy.
For both the tenders, power generated will be procured by SECI under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and then sold to different buying entities.
Recently, SECI announced a 2 GW grid-connected solar PV capacity under tranche-XVII call, to be accompanied by 1,000 MW /4,000 MWh storage (see India’s SECI Launches Solar PV Projects Tender For 2 GW Capacity).