National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) tendered 250 MW of solar under the domestic content requirement (DCR) category. This is a global tender and anyone can participate. The bid-submission deadline is August 30, 2017.

The scope of work includes, design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packaging and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, and commissioning of the project. The developer will also need to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) of the project and transmission system, stated an NTPC official.

The NTPC official also said, “The project can be developed anywhere across India. There is no predetermined project location.”

As previously reported, the United States and India have agreed that December 14, 2017 will be the last day for DCR category. When asked about this, the NTPC official said that there is still a lot of time until the December deadline for DCR.

Another NTPC official stated that we can issue DCR tenders up to December 14, 2017 – we are not running foul of any regulations. Also, hinting towards the possibility of having an off-taker on board, the official said that this project will be developed quickly as most ends have been tied up.

DCR projects have become rare which has resulted in domestic manufacturers filing an anti-dumping case against solar imports from China, Taiwan and Malaysia.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, NTPC has a solar portfolio comprising 870 MW of installed projects.

Image Credit: NTPC

Sampath has been part of the Mercom India research and news team since the company’s inception. He currently oversees all data and research relating to news published on the MercomIndia.com platform. Sampath received his Bachelor’s of Commerce Degree from Kuvempu University and Post Graduate Diploma in Management, from Indira Gandhi National Open University. More articles from Sampath Krishna.