ROUND-UP: Mexico auction attracts 80 players, Mysore rail PV, 360 Argentina solar park troubles

Mexico’s next renewables auction attracts 80 bidders

5 September: Mexico’s National Center for Energy Control (CENACE) will award projects in its third clean energy auction on 22 November this year, having received offers from 80 different bidders at preliminary stages.

Winning bidders at the auction will sign long-term contracts with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).

Mysore Railway Workshop goes solar

11 September: Mysuru Central Railway has seen a 500kW rooftop solar project commissioned system at the workshop of South Western Railway (SWR).

The project has been implemented by an unnamed private player and the rail network will purchase power from the solar plant for 25 years.

Neeraj Jain, chief workshop manager, Central Workshop/Mysore/SWR said: “The plant has been set up over 3,218 sqm area covering rooftops of different sections of the workshop. It consists of 1,562 solar PV modules that collectively produce 500KW of energy. This caters to the energy needs of the workshop. Excess power is fed to the grid operated by Cesc under a power purchase agreement.”

Explaining the savings, the manager said the plant helps them save about INR1.5 million (US$23.5 million) in the first year, and the figures will improve over the subsequent years.

Former energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal has now become Railways and coal minister and is likely to promote Indian Railways' already ambitious solar plans.

360Energy solar park held up in Argentina

9 September: The Superior Court of Justice of La Rioja has issued a precautionary measure hindering construction of a 42MW project at Nonogasta Solar Park in Argentina, being developed by 360Energy, according to Argentinian news agency Telam.

In a statement, 360Energy has claimed that construction of the park, which started in July, has been paralysed as the measure questions whether the provincial government had authorized the future connection of the Solar Park to the 132KV La Rioja-Nonogasta high voltage line.

Tags: 360energy, argentina, la rioja, mexico, cenace, india, mysore, indian railways