Renewables Tender Trajectory Key to Mitigating Project Risks

Tenders issued irregularly provide little time for developers to prepare

thumbnail

Stakeholders in India’s renewables sector have called for a pre-determined calendar for tenders so that the resultant certainty can help companies plan their finances and manage supply chain constraints more efficiently.

Businesses generally thrive in a policy and regulatory environment that fosters certainty, but the renewables sector has had to contend with central and state governments and their myriad departments and agencies issuing tenders randomly.

Amit Jain, Managing Director at ENGIE India, said that as the country targets a capacity addition of 500 GW of renewable capacity by 2030, the availability of a scheduled tender trajectory is essential.

“The government, in order to facilitate further investment from foreign firms, could consider sharing a bidding trajectory that will help the foreign firms to effectively plan and contribute to accomplishing the ambitious renewable target of 500 GW target by 2030. It would be good to have a trajectory for tendering for the next few years. That would also help us plan better and be a part of the whole growth story,” he added.

Tender announcements during the third quarter of 2022 were up 144% year-over-year compared to the same period last year, while the corresponding auctions were down by 58%.

Solar tenders trend graphical presentation

The chart above shows the inconsistency in the volumes tendered through quarters from 2020 to date.

The tendered capacity is hard to predict without an official trajectory.

Tender uncertainty leads to higher project costs

Unplanned tenders give very little room for project developers to effectively plan the required finances and secure supplies of modules and other components at competitive prices.

While the government has taken similar steps for offshore wind project tenders, with the Ministry of Power announcing that bids for such projects will be issued in blocks of 4 GW every year for three years, other renewable energy sources still lack such certainty.

Stakeholders said that the state regulators could develop a mechanism for releasing a tender schedule in advance. The renewable power purchase obligations for individual states are decided much earlier, giving them enough time to plan their procurement and corresponding tenders for them. The regulators can hold the power distribution companies accountable for not adhering to the schedule.

A senior regulatory executive at a multinational renewable energy corporation said, “The agencies come up with tenders with a concise timeline, and they keep on extending it. Eventually, a developer works with rolling and extendable bids. There is a need for a structured tendering schedule, with a bidding timeline of four to six months, giving developers sufficient time to work on the financials to avoid going back and forth.”

A visible tender list will iron out grid connectivity issues

A Mumbai-based renewable energy developer said, “The gestation period of the projects is normally 12 to 18 months, whereas setting up substations and associated evacuation systems take much longer. States like Maharashtra and Gujarat don’t even provide a time extension for the projects in cases where the connectivity and access are not operationalized within the scheduled time.”

Further, with the policy of mandatory module procurement from the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), the visibility and certainty of upcoming tenders become even more crucial so that developers can tie up module supplies in time.

The success of tenders is highly dependent on the design of the tender, the number, and the nature of the participating bidders. A lack of participation can lead to expensive offers, and large-scale projects risk not receiving any offers.

India’s installed renewable energy capacity, including large hydro projects, stands at 163.7 GW as of the third quarter of 2022, a long way off the 450 GW target the country has set to achieve by 2030. Introducing a tender trajectory would provide a much-needed boost to the installation numbers in the coming years.

“Regulatory agencies should be required to release and abide by tender and auction timetables that tie in with the RPO of each state for a more streamlined, predictable procurement system. India needs to install more than 27 GW of solar per year to meet its 2030 goal, which will be hard to do with the current process of unpredictable tenders. Making this change will add long-term visibility to the markets and help attract more international capital that India sorely needs,” said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

thumbnail

Satish Shetty

RELATED POSTS

Mercom Research Focus
thumbnail
India Installs a Record 2.5 GW of Solar Open Access in 2022, Up 92% YoY

India added 2.5 GW of solar open access in the calendar year (CY) 2022, a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 92% from the 1.3 GW installed in CY 2021, according to the newly released 2022 Q4 & Annual Mercom India Solar Open Acce...

March 15, 2023

Solar

Kerala Issues Empanelment Tender for 100 MW of Solar Projects

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has invited bids to empanel solar developers to set up 100 MW of grid-connected rooftop and ground-mounted projects. Empanelled vendors also must furnish operation and maintenance (O&M...

March 20, 2023

Tenders and Auctions

Gujarat Invites Bids to Procure 500 MW of Wind Power with Greenshoe Option

Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) has invited bids to procure power from 500 MW of grid-connected wind projects (Phase V) with a greenshoe option of an additional capacity of up to 500 MW. The last day to submit the bids online is ...

March 17, 2023

Rooftop

MSMEs Adopt Solar Readily If Savings on Power Bills Cover EMI Cost: Interview

Small businesses are open to adopting rooftop solar if loan repayment is not an additional burden and is equal to their savings on electricity bills. Entities in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment are increasingly mov...

March 17, 2023

Magazine

DON'T MISS AN ISSUE!

Mercom Cleantech Magazine

Get Your Copy Today!

magazines

Latest News

thumbnail
Maharashtra Approves Tariffs for 8.7 MW of Solar Power Under KUSUM Program

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has adopted tariffs of ₹3.28 (~$0.039)/kWh, ₹3.29 (~$0.039)/kWh, and ₹3.30 (~$0.040)/kWh for the procurement of 8.7 MW of solar power on a long-term basis. The Commission...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
Brookfield to Aquire KKR’s 50% Stake in Renewable Developer X-Elio

Global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) has agreed to sell 50% of its stake in renewable developer X-ELIO to its joint venture partner Brookfield Renewable. Financial details were not disclosed. Since KKR’s...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
NTPC’s Subsidiary Will Develop Renewable Projects for IndianOil Refineries

NTPC Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary, NGEL, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) to develop renewable energy projects that can meet round-the-clock power requirements to meet the...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
Constant Climate-Centric Funding Can Limit Global Temperature Under 1.5°C 

Financial support from developed economies to developing nations which is a critical enabler of climate action has been inadequate, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
India Voices Concern over Europe’s Carbon Tariff Measure at WTO

India has expressed concern about the carbon border measures proposed by the European Union (EU) at a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Committee on Trade and Environment. Presenting a paper on the increasing...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
JSW and Greenko Win Karnataka’s Bid for 1 GW of Pumped Storage Projects

JSW Neo Energy (JSW Energy) and Greenko KA 01 IREP (Greenko) have won the Power Company of Karnataka’s (PCKL) auction to supply 1 GW of energy for 8 hours daily from pumped hydro storage projects providing continuous 5-hour...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
Sterling and Wilson Bags BoS Package Tender for 1.2 GW Solar Projects

Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy, the solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) arm of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, won NTPC’s tender for the balance of system (BOS) package to develop 1.2 GW (4*300 MW) of solar...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
Indian Oil Floats O&M Tender for 8 MW Solar Project in Ahmedabad

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) has invited bids for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of an existing 8 MW solar power project at the LPG bottling plant at Sanand in Ahmedabad for five years. The last date to submit the bids...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
IIT Mandi Creates Low-Cost Method for Solar Cell Metal Oxide Layers

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) have claimed a breakthrough in producing metal oxide layers for use in advanced architecture silicon solar cells using a cost-effective method. This innovative...

March 21, 2023

thumbnail
Government Allows NTPC to Invest Over 30% of Net Worth in its Green Arm

The government has allowed NTPC to invest in its subsidiary, NTPC Green Energy (NGEL), beyond the limit allowed for a ‘maharatna’ central public sector enterprise (CPSE). The extant guidelines prescribe a ceiling of 30% of a...

March 21, 2023

MORE NEWS