The NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) has invited bids for procuring 100 electric buses to operate in the state of Goa.

The brief scope of work includes the operation of 100 electric busses including their day-to-day maintenance.

The last date for the submission of bids is April 12, 2019. Techno-commercial bids will open on April 24, 2019.

“NVVN intends to finance the operation of electric buses through external commercial borrowing/domestic commercial borrowing/own source,” the tender document underlines.

To be eligible, a bidder should have the experience of operating at least 50 buses, irrespective of fuel use such as diesel or CNG, for a continuous one-year period in the last five years. Out of those 50 buses, the bidder should have operated a minimum of 25 buses in a single contract.

Moreover, the average annual turnover of the bidder should not be less than ₹60 million (~$0.87 million) in the last three financial years.

The central, as well as an increasing number of state governments, has been actively advocating the adoption of intelligent and sustainable communication in the form of electric vehicles in the country.

In January 2019, the National Institute of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog issued a model concession agreement for a public-private partnership aimed at the operation and maintenance of electric buses in cities across the country. Under this model, the holder of concession would be required to incur the necessary capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the procurement of electric buses, and operation and maintenance infrastructure and the authority will incur operational expenditure on per kilometer basis.

Earlier this month, the Indian government notified the implementation of ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II)’ with a total budget outlay of ₹100 billion ($1.41 billion). The program is aimed at promoting electric mobility in the country.

Recently, ramping up its efforts to curb the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Transport Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi,  issued a tender for 385 electric buses under two clusters E1 and E2. According to the request for selection, cluster E1 has a requirement of 275 buses and cluster E2 has a requirement of 110 buses.

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