The bid-submission deadline for the tender to set up 1 GW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects at Dholera Solar Park (Phase V) has been extended yet again. The new deadline is May 4, 2019. The extension was necessitated due to poor participation from the developers.

This is the fourth bid extension for the solar project. The initial bid-submission deadline was set as February 15, 2019. This was postponed to February 25, 2019, and then later, the GUVNL again postponed the bid-submission deadline to March 5, 2019.

“The Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL) had submitted the bid for one block of 50 MW whereas Tata did not submit its bid for five blocks (50 MW x 5) as the new bid submission extension was announced”, a developer informed Mercom.

The total capacity of 1,000 MW has been divided into 20 plots (50 MW x 20) in the solar park, and the project will be developed on a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis.

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) had tendered the capacity in January 2019, and the upper tariff ceiling for this tender had been set at ₹2.75 (~$0.039)/kWh.

A bidder would be allowed to place a bid for a minimum of 50 MW capacity or in multiples of 50 MW. The tariff quoted by bidders would be single and uniform for all the plots and capacity irrespective of the number of plots and capacity quoted by the bidder.

In April 2018, Mercom reported when the Gujarat government approved the establishment of a 5,000 MW in Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR).

In August 2018,  GUVNL invited expression of interest (EoI) from project developers to develop 1,000 MW of grid-connected solar PV projects in the park.

The Dholera solar park is expected to cover an area of more than 27,000 acres upon completion. According to a Gujarat state government release issued earlier this year, “The proposed solar park will attract investment of ₹250 billion (~$3.84 billion) and provide employment opportunities to more than 20,000 individuals.”

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer