The Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has issued a request for proposal (RfS) for 940 kW of off-grid rooftop solar projects at various rural primary healthcare centers (PHC) across the state.

This capacity would comprise 188 projects, and the capacity of each will be 5 kW. The deadline for the submission of bids is November 13, 2019, and the time allotted for the completion of work is six months.

According to APDCL, the estimated cost of the project is ₹100,000 (~$1,455). The interested bidders need to pay an amount of ₹1.5 million (~$21,192) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

The scope of work includes the site survey, design, engineering, manufacture, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of the projects, including operation and maintenance (O&M) services for five years. The successful bidder should have an annual turnover and net worth of ₹500 million (~$7.1 million) in the last three financial years.

The department has also issued a tender for the installation of 15 kW of off-grid floating solar projects and 20 LED street lighting systems at Jor Pukhuri in Guwahati.

The deadline for the submission of bids is November 8, 2019.

The estimated cost of the project is ₹1.9 million (~$ 27,933), and the time given for completion is four months.

Interested bidders need to pay ₹100,000 million (~$1,455) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

To bid for the project, the bidder should have an average annual turnover of not less than ₹2.5 million (~$35,321) in the last three years.

The state government of Assam aims to install 590 MW of solar energy projects, which are to be developed across solar parks, through the rooftop, and off-grid installations by 2020.

In March 2019, the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the 70 MW Amguri Solar Park in Sivasagar district. The projects would be developed on a build-own-operate basis for the procurement of solar power by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) for 25 years.

Recently, the Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited retendered 70 MW of grid-connected solar projects to be developed at Amguri Solar Park in the Sivasagar district of the state. The tender was initially floated in January 2019.

Assam is one of the least developed states in the country when it comes to the expansion of renewable energy sources. According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, the state currently has negligible solar capacity currently with nearly 100 MW under development.

In September 2019, Mercom reported that Assam had issued a draft policy announcing its renewable purchase obligation (RPO) from 2019 to 2022.  The RPO for FY 2020, FY 2021, and FY 2022 will be 17.5%, 19%, and 21%, respectively.

Image credit: SPG Solar [CC BY-SA 3.0]

Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.