Irrational bidding seen in SECI’s 500MW solar rooftop tender in India

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Some of the lowest tariffs were seen in special category states which receive a 70% subsidy. Flickr: Ajay Tallam

Participants in Solar Energy Corporation of India’s (SECI) 500MW rooftop solar tender have put in a high variation of bidding levels with some states undersubscribed, according to Jasmeet Khurana, associate director, consulting at Bridge to India.

Khurana told PV Tech: “Some companies have still quoted unreasonably low rates. The variation between bids is too high to call these bids rational.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Tariff’s quoted hit as low as INR3/kWh (US$0.045) in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Puducherry and as high as INR6.2/kWh in Punjab.

Project costs were as high as INR74,950/kW in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, and as low as INR45,100/kW in North Eastern States/Sikkim.

It should be noted that both the lowest tariffs and lowest project costs were found in ‘special category’ states, which receive a 70% subsidy, from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Such subsidies were approved by India’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in January while scaling up the budget for grid-connected rooftop solar in the country from INR6 billion (US$90 million) to INR50 billion up to 2019/20.

The lowest prices for each state were as follows:

A SECI release said that it will soon unveil the full list of bidders with quoted prices and capacities.

India is forecast to add 700MW of rooftop PV in the year 2016 and cross the cumulative 1GW benchmark this month, according to Bridge to India.

Meanwhile, third party financing could support more than half of India’s solar rooftop segment by 2022, but several policy initiatives must be introduced to make this model attractive, according to a recent report from advisory organisation the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI).

Read Next

September 18, 2025
CERC is finalising guidelines for virtual power purchase agreements (vPPAs) to unlock financing for over 40GW of uncontracted renewable capacity.
September 18, 2025
Indian PV makers have welcomed the government’s plan to add solar wafers to its ALMM List-III from June 2028.
September 17, 2025
Spanish renewables developer and operator Acciona Energía has commissioned its 412MWp Juna solar PV plant in Kawani village in the western state of Rajasthan. 
September 16, 2025
IB Solar is investing INR30 billion (US$340 million) in a 4GW TOPCon solar cell and module manufacturing plant in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.
September 15, 2025
Norwegian energy firm Statkraft has agreed to divest a portion of its renewable energy portfolio to Serentica Renewables.
September 15, 2025
Vikram Solar has secured a contract to supply 200MW of modules to AB Energia, a domestic solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) solutions provider. 

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA