NMMC Launches 100 MW Floating Solar Power Plant Tender

• Maharashtra's NMMC has launched a tender for 101.5 MW clean energy generation capacity 
• It involves the construction of 1.5 MW hydroelectric and 100 MW floating solar power plants on the Morbe Dam 
• Modules procured for the floating solar project need to be sourced from those listed in the ALMM 

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), the municipal organization of Maharashtra's planned city Navi Mumbai, has launched a tender for a 100 MW floating solar power plant at the Morbe Dam. The re-tender is accompanied by a call for the development of a 1.5 MW hydroelectric project. 

Constructed in 1999 by the Water Supply and Sanitation Department of Maharashtra, the Morbe Dam is located on Dhavari river. It is being managed by the NMMC since 2003 for its own independent and operational source of water. 

Located near Khalapur in Raigad district, the dam is a potential site for renewable energy facilities comprising hydroelectric and floating solar power plant, says the NMMC.

Under the tender, both the projects need to be built on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis through open access connectivity. Floating solar capacity will be realized in 2 phases of 60 MW and 40 MW. The last time it launched the tender in 2022, the floating solar plant was said to be developed in 3 phases. NMMC had capped the tariffs at INR 3.90/kWh (see Tender For 100 MW Floating Solar Plant).  

Winners of the tender or concessionaires will be awarded the procurement contract for 25 years by the NMMC. 

Winning developers will design the floating system for the water surface area to not exceed about 10,000 sq. mtr. to 11,000 sq. mtr. of installed capacity. 

For the floating solar system, the winners need to use modules from the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) with both cells and modules manufactured domestically. These can have monocrystalline or multicrystalline or thin-film cells with a minimum efficiency of 17%, 16.5% and 16.5%, respectively.  

Power generation sought from the floating solar plant is not less than 208.8 million units, and 10.80 million from the hydroelectric plant.  

Launched on March 23, 2024, the last date to submit the bids is April 2, 2024. Details of the tender with tender ID 2024_NMMC_1037998_1 are available on the Maharashtra government's e-procurement website.