SECI’s 3 GW Tender Receives 5.1 GW Technical Bids

• SECI's 3 GW ISTS PV tender launched in February 2018 has received 5.1 GW of technical bids, which equals a 70% overs-subscription rate
• SBG Cleantech is bidding for 1,800 MW of the total
• Rest of the contenders have bid for capacity ranging between 200 MW to 600 MW 

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has received technical bids for a total of 5.1 GW, which is 2.1 GW more than the original 3 GW tendered capacity. SECI had tendered this Interstate Transmission System (ISTS) connected capacity in February 2018 (see SECI Tenders 3 GW PV Capacity).

Out of the 12 bidders that submitted their technical bids, SoftBank backed SBG Cleantech evinced interest in developing a whopping 1,800 MW, according to Mercom India Research. SoftBank has been eyeing the Indian PV market closely as it plans to invest between $60 billion and $100 billion in solar power generation projects along with manufacturing of related equipment.

Also for the 2 GW ISTS connected SECI tender, which had received 3.8 GW of technical bids, SBG Cleantech has bid for 600 MW.

 The contenders for the 3 GW tender have provided bids for capacities ranging between 200 to 600 MW. The bidders are: ReNew Power, ACME Solar, Adani Green, Azure Power, Mahindra, Sprng Energy, Tata Power Solar, Hero Future Energies, ACB India, Canadian Solar and Mytrah Energy.

SECI had recently amended the bidding terms for the tender by increasing the  maximum capacity a single company can bid for to 1.8 GW, from 750 MW earlier. Adani Green Energy, Azure Power, Hero Future Energies, Mytrah Energy and ACME Solar, along with Sprng Energy complained to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) about this change, according to an article in local newspaper The Economic Times (ET). They are also not happy with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) allowing bidders to bid for the entire 2 GW capacity for one of its tenders. Only firms with deep pockets will be able to win in such large auctions, leaving no room for small players to even compete.