The week began with a spate of solar tenders issued by various agencies. Here are three important smaller ancillary tenders that were issued:

The Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited( KSPDCL, a joint venture company of the KREDL and SECI, has invited requests for proposal (RfS ) for civil work comprising project management consultancy (PMC) service for the preparation of a detailed project report, along with the design, construction supervision and contract administration of various buildings, structures, landscaping, water supply, sanitary arrangements and other allied civil works for the 2,000 MW Pavagada  Solar Park in the state.

The project, valued at around ₹85 million (~$1.2 million), will require the consultants to submit their proposal through the e-procurement portal. The last date for submission has been fixed for May 25, 2019, while a pre-bid meeting has been slotted for May 15, 2019.

According to Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, 1,400 MW of solar capacity has been commissioned in the park while another 650 MW capacity is in the developmental phase. The park is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

The Pavagada Solar Park infrastructure was developed by the Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited (KSPDCL), a joint venture between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and KREDL. It was initially built to host a capacity of 2,000 MW of solar at a single location spanning 13,000 acres of land. Later, it was decided to develop an additional 50 MW of capacity at the park.

The Central Electronics Limited invited bids for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the 509.355 kW solar power project installed at 33/11kV substation at Wavi in Nashik district of Maharashtra.

The last date for the submission of bids is May 16, 2019.  The bid document specifies that the complete responsibility of the total operation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic power project will lie with the contractor. The bid specifies that the bidder needs to have at least five years of prior experience in handling such projects in a semi-government or government enterprise.

It was reported earlier by Mercom that the Central Electronics Limited recently invited bids for the implementation of 11.12 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects at 35 sites of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) labs across India, under the RESCO model.

It had also tendered (an EPC tender on a turnkey basis) for 11 MW of grid-connected solar projects to be developed at various locations across Maharashtra with the minimum project size pegged at 400KWp to 500KWp, with CEL supplying 300-Watt solar PV modules for the project.

The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has issued tenders for setting up of 100 kW of grid-connected solar rooftop projects at Kakinada, Madanpalle, Nandyala and Amalepuram bus stations in Andhra Pradesh, under the CAPEX model and net metering policy. The last date for submission of bids is May 17, 2019, and a pre-bid meeting will be held on May 14, 2019. The tender document specifies that the bidder must have experience of having executed 100 kW of cumulative capacity of either off-grid or grid-connected solar PV projects in the last one year.

Recently, the Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APEPDCL) had petitioned the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) to approve the implementation of distribution company (DISCOM)-driven solar rooftop photovoltaic (PV) program devised under the technical assistance program. APEPDCL has proposed two models for the implementation of this program. Read about the two models here

Soumik is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, Soumik was a correspondent for UNI, New Delhi covering the Northeast region for seven years. He has also worked as an Asia Correspondent for Washington DC-based Hundred Reporters. He has contributed as a freelancer to several national and international digital publications with a focus on data-based investigative stories on environmental corruption, hydro power projects, energy transition and the circular economy. Soumik is an Economics graduate from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University.