The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids from wind power generators to develop 1,200 MW of interstate transmission system connected wind power projects under Tranche-IX of the ISTS scheme. The project will be developed on a build-own-operate basis (BOO).

Developers can submit bids for project sizes varying from a minimum of 50 MW to 600 MW. SECI is expected to enter into power purchase agreements with successful developers for a period of 25 years. SECI has also set a ceiling tariff of ₹2.85/kWh (~$0.040). The minimum voltage for interconnection at the ISTS will be 220 kV. The tender also has a list of identified substations that the projects can be connected to; these are located in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Selected developers will have to commission projects within a period of 18 months from the date of signing PPAs. Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) amount for bidders has been set to ₹600,000/MW (~$8,440).

The last date of submission of bids for this tender will be announced on the tender procurement portal.

The pre-bid meeting for this tender will take place on October 04, 2019.

According to SECI, it has already allocated 9,600 MW of wind energy projects in the first seven tranches of the scheme.

Last month, SECI awarded 439.8 MW of wind projects in an auction, this capacity is part of the tender floated by the agency for 1,800 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS) connected wind projects under tranche VIII. The auction saw the lowest tariff of ₹2.83 (~$0.0395)/kWh quoted by CLP India.

Prior to that, Mercom reported on SECI’s 1.8 GW wind tender being left undersubscribed with bids totaling 551 MW only.

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.