NHPC is seeking solar power generators to supply power from 1.2 GW solar and ESS projects
It is also offering an additional 1.2 GW solar PV and ESS capacity under a greenshoe option
Projects can be situated anywhere in India on land to be arranged by the winning companies
Indian state-owned hydropower utility NHPC Limited has launched a tender to procure up to 1.2 GW solar power capacity with energy storage systems (ESS) and is offering an additional capacity of 1.2 GW PV with ESS under a greenshoe option.
It seeks to select solar power generators (SPG) who will be required to set up grid-connected PV projects with ESS on land to be identified and arranged by the winners anywhere in India.
The ESS installed must have a minimum 0.5 MW/1 MWh capacity for 1 MW contracted capacity as part of the project. An ESS system charged using a source other than solar power will not qualify as solar power. The generators can either own the ESS or secure its supply under a tie-up with a 3rd party operator.
Under this request for selection (RfS), the minimum project size is set at 50 MW with a minimum ESS component of 25 MW/50 MWh, and in the multiples of 10 MW thereafter. The cumulative capacity a single bidder can offer should not exceed 600 MW with a minimum ESS component of 300 MW/600 MWh, without the greenshoe option.
With a greenshoe option, for a single bidder, the cumulative capacity offered should not exceed 1.2 GW for solar PV, with a minimum component of 600 MW/1,200 MWh.
For projects located in the North-Eastern States and Special Category States, the minimum volume of contracted capacity to be offered by a bidder shall be 30 MW with a minimum 15 MW/30 MWh ESS component.
Winners will enter into power purchase agreements (PPA) with NHPC for the purchase of solar power for 25 years. NHPC will operate as an intermediary nodal agency for the procurement of power supplied by the SPGs and sell the same to various buying entities on a back-to-back basis.
The tender was launched on September 20, 2024, and carries October 18, 2024 as the last date to submit online bids, and October 21, 2024 for hard copies. Details are available on NHPC’s website.
In June 2024, NHPC was seeking bidders for its 1.2 GW ISTS-connected solar PV tender with an additional 1.2 GW capacity under a greenshoe option (see Indian State Utility Launches GW-Scale Solar PV Tender).