NTPC-SAIL Power Company Private (NSPCL), a joint venture between Indian state-owned utility NTPC and Steel Authority of India, is tendering for the development of a 50MW solar PV project near to the Salem Steel Plant (SSP) in Salem District in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Bidders can use PV cells and modules from either domestic or foreign sources.
The tender is for the design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation and commissioning of the 50MW grid-connected solar plant. This includes O&M for a five year period.
The deadline for receipt of bids comprising both techno-commercial bid and price bid is 3 June this year.
As of 1 April, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulation Commission (TNERC) dropped its high feed-in-tariff (FiT) for solar PV projects from INR7.01 (US$0.105) per unit to INR5.10 (US$0.077) per unit (down 27%).
The move brings the state more in line with other Indian states, which tend to have FiTs in the range of five or six rupees per unit.
SECI tenders
Last week, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) also issued a notice of interest for 500MW of grid-connected solar PV projects in the state of Maharashtra under the National Solar Mission, Phase-II, Batch-IV.
Meanwhile, SECI also issued a notice of interest detailing the solar tenders it would carry out on behalf of Coal India Limited (CIL). The notice was for 600MW spread across four states:
- Madhya Pradesh 250MW
- Chhattisgarh 200MW
- West Bengal 100MW
- Maharashtra 50MW
SECI will be responsible for 800MW of CIL solar tenders overall.
The Indian organisation also selected Indian developer Azure Power to set up a 5MW PV project in Ambajhari with a tariff of INR5.31/kWh (US$0.08) and no Viability Gap Funding (VGF), which is a government support mechanism.
SECI also selected Azure Power for a 2MW plant in Bhandara with a tariff of INR5.5/kWh and INR865,000 VGF.
