SECI’s 275MW solar tender in Uttar Pradesh to power Varanasi’s 100% renewables dream

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Flickr: Lyle Vincent

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a Request for Qualification (RfP) document for 275MW of grid-connected solar in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The PV capacity, spread across six projects, will be located in the Uttar Pradesh Solar Park and power produced will go towards the goal of making the city of Varanasi a 100% renewable energy-powered city, according to the RfQ document. Bidding and e-reverse auctions will be conducted separately for each of the six projects.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Last May, at Intersolar Europe, former Indian power minister Piyush Goyal challenged the German city of Munich to race with Varanasi, one of the world's oldest cities, to become the first ever fully clean energy-powered city.

The six projects are as follows:

The six separate projects to be auctioned. Credit: SECI

SECI has fixed the project tariffs at INR3.43/kWh (US$0.054) for 25 years. SECI said that bidders will be “free to avail fiscal incentives like Accelerated Depreciation, Concessional Customs and Excise Duties, Tax Holidays, etc. as available for such projects”.

The tender comes under the National Solar Mission, Phase II, Batch IV, Tranch XIII.

Projects will be set up on a Build Own Operate basis and power will be sold to SECI.

Following central government announcments last November to tender 17GW of solar by March this year, one would expect a large amount of similar issuances to be produced in the coming weeks, although there are plenty of sceptics and there is a need for distribution companies (Discoms) to be willing to buy the power. At the end of December another 750MW were auctioned at Bhadla in Rajasthan.

Read Next

July 15, 2025
Indian renewable energy company SAEL Industries is developing a 5GW solar cell and 5GW module manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
July 11, 2025
Indian independent power producer (IPP) Juniper Green Energy has commissioned an additional 71MWp at Chapalgaon Solar Project in Solapur, Maharashtra.
July 9, 2025
Indian solar water pump and motor manufacturer Shakti Pumps has successfully raised INR2.9 billion (US$34.1 million) to build a solar cell and module manufacturing plant.
July 8, 2025
German solar glass manufacturer Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg (GMB) has filed for insolvency after posting monthly losses of €900,000 this year.
July 8, 2025
Energy consultancy JMK Research has forecast 28.3GW of utility-scale and residential solar PV to be installed in India during fiscal year 2026.
July 8, 2025
SJVN Green Energy has commenced commercial operations of 100.02MW from its 1,000MW solar power project in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK