Daily News Wrap-Up: APM Projects Bags MES’ 1 MW Solar EPC Auction

Kunamneni won the O&M contract for NTPC’s 92 MW floating solar project

December 10, 2025

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APM Projects won the Military Engineer Service’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) auction to set up a 1 MW grid-connected solar project at Air Force Station Suratgarh, Rajasthan. The contract is valued at ₹67.4 million (~$760,113). The scope of work includes the complete EPC covering the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of the solar facility. The project must be completed within 1,350 days of the site handover, scheduled to occur approximately two weeks after acceptance of the letter of award.

Kunamneni Technologies won the order to provide comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M) of a 92 MW floating solar project at NTPC Kayamkulam, Kerala, for three years, and a 5 MW ground-mounted solar project at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, for two years and nine months. The awarded contract is valued at ₹166.72 million (~$1.85 million). The tender was floated on July 28, 2025. The company’s scope of work will include daily monitoring of string outages, restoring inverter trips, attending to breakdowns and tripping incidents, and restoring the system as quickly as possible.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) issued clarifications to address the difficulties flagged by renewable energy developers in implementing the third amendment to the General Network Access (GNA) Regulations. Developers originally had only three months and one week after the third amendment to the GNA Regulations to either convert to entities with solar-hour access or apply for additional capacity. CERC has granted a one-time 2.5-month extension, bringing the total to 5.5 months. The extension recognizes that developers require more time to make investment decisions and finalize project configurations.

The Central Transmission Utility of India (CTUIL) revoked grid connectivity of 24 grantees with a total renewable energy capacity of 6,343 MW since 2022. Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik told Parliament that CTUIL had clarified that the cancellations were not due to a shortfall in transmission planning to meet the 2030 non-fossil capacity target, but because of developer delays. India has set a target of installing 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.

The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission approved the proposal of the Bihar State Power Generation Company and Bihar State Power Holding Company to procure 144.27 MW of solar power, under the PM-KUSUM Component-C program for feeder-level solarization for 25 years. The Commission also approved the discovered tariffs ranging from ₹3.30 (~$0.037)/kWh to ₹3.48 (~$0.038)/kWh and the draft power purchase agreement.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses account for a large share of India’s energy demand. The cost of grid power charged by the distribution companies has been rising due to higher power purchase costs. This has pushed several C&I businesses to opt for cheaper renewable energy sources. The costs of sourcing renewable energy through open access or by installing rooftop solar will be far more economical than grid tariffs. Besides the economic benefits, businesses can also reduce their carbon footprint and make their operations more environmentally friendly.

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal issued an EPC tender to set up a 2 MW solar project on its premises on a turnkey basis. Only bidders shortlisted under the tender issued on July 21, 2025, are eligible to participate. Bids must be submitted by December 29, 2025. Bids will be opened on December 30. The scope of work entails the design, engineering, procurement, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of the solar project. It also involves providing O&M services for 10 years. Successful bidders must provide all labor, materials, construction plant, equipment, transportation, and temporary works for the project. They must provide storage for the equipment and accommodation for labor.

Power Grid Corporation of India commissioned the 765 kV double-circuit Khetri–Narela interstate transmission system, part of the larger 8.1 GW transmission infrastructure to evacuate solar power from Rajasthan to Delhi and Northern India. The transmission system is a crucial link in Rajasthan’s renewable evacuation network. Its commissioning has come at a time when the state has been grappling with large-scale solar and wind curtailment, leading to revenue losses for renewable energy developers and green energy remaining unutilized.

GFCL EV Products, a subsidiary of Gujarat Fluorochemicals, secured an investment of ~$50 million (~₹4.5 billion) from the International Finance Corporation to develop an integrated battery material facility. The funding is being raised through subscription of compulsorily convertible instruments. GFCL EV has fully integrated manufacturing capabilities for battery chemicals, with backward integration into key raw materials, and its product portfolio caters to both the electric-vehicle and energy-storage sectors.

U.S.-based electric vehicle charging solutions company ChargePoint reported total revenue of $105.67 million in the third quarter (Q3) of the financial year 2026, a 6% year-over-year (YoY) increase from $99.6 million. The revenue comprised $56.4 million from its networked charging systems business, up 7% YoY from $52.66 million. It earned $42 million from subscriptions, a 15.3% YoY increase from $36.41 million. ChargePoint’s revenue from other sources was $7.3 million, declining 31% YoY from $10.5 million.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas received 225 new large load interconnection requests in 2025 alone, accounting for a 270% MW demand increase since January. By November 18, 2025, ERCOT was tracking about 226 GW of large loads seeking interconnection, up from 63 GW in December 2024. The report ‘System Planning and Weatherization Update’ stresses that data centers dominate this wave, accounting for roughly 73% of large load requests. It also notes a shift toward extremely large single-site proposals, with many individual projects above 1 GW.

The global wind energy sector is expected to require at least 1 million full-time equivalent (FTE) workers between 2025 and 2030 to meet projected installation and operational targets, according to the Global Wind Energy Council and the Global Wind Organisation. This workforce will be essential across construction, installation, assembly, and O&M  activities. Of the one million FTEs, approximately 700,000 will be required for construction and installation, with 300,000 to support O&M operations, according to the Global Wind Workforce Outlook 2025.

The U.S. solar industry added a capacity of 11.7 GW in Q3 of 2025, a 20% YoY and a 49% quarter-over-quarter increase, according to US Solar Market Insight Q4, a joint report by Wood Mackenzie and Solar Energy Industries Association. The report attributes the rise in solar installations to nearly completed projects in Q2 that were halted by the Reconciliation Act and completed in Q3. However, it highlighted that industry constraints and supply chain bottlenecks moderated the installation rush. The quarter also saw solar module shortages and delivery delays affecting the residential sector. The commercial and community solar projects were constrained by labor availability.

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