The Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) has issued a Request for Proposal (RfP) to develop 52 MW of solar projects. The RfP is for the procurement of solar power on a long-term basis by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL).

The last date for the submission of bids is August 22, 2019, with the opening of the financial bid slotted for September 30, 2019.

According to the UPCL, interested bidders are required to submit their RfP documents along with a non-refundable processing fee of ₹2,500 (~$36)/100 KW.

The capacity of each solar power projects will be a minimum of 100 kW and a maximum of 5 MW.

The UPCL has also announced that the total capacity of solar PV projects allocated to a company including its parent, affiliate or ultimate parent or any group company, should be limited to 50 MW wherein the capacity of each project will not be more than 5 MW.

The net worth of the interested bidders should be equal to or more than ₹1.5 million (~$21,744)/MW. The net worth criteria should be met a week before the date of submission of the application.

According to the UPCL, the technical specifications include that the solar power developer should have a firm technology tie-up or collaboration, or supply agreements with technology, or should be an equipment supplier.  It also specifies that the solar power developer should provide evidence for the technical ability of the company. The interested bidders should provide an undertaking for PV modules or inverter systems to be deployed. The modules and equipment should be compliant with the latest International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards and compliant with the standards as specified by the Central Electricity Authority.

As per the RfP, the developers should identify suitable land for the project in the hilly regions of the state, as mentioned in the Micro, Small, and Medium enterprise (MSME) policy of 2015.

Each bidder should submit the bid along with a bid bond for an amount of ₹50,000 (~$ 725) per 100 kW. The bid bond will be valid for 180 days.

Uttarakhand, a small hilly state that was carved out of Uttar Pradesh, has begun making efforts to include solar power in its energy mix to meet its increasing energy requirements smart and sustainably.

Recently, Mercom had reported that after addressing the responses from the stakeholders, the Uttarakhand  Electricity Regulatory Commission determined benchmark capital costs and tariffs for solar PV, solar thermal power, grid-interactive rooftop, and small solar PV power projects commissioned on or after April 1, 2019, and on or before March 31, 2020.

In February this year, UREDA had floated a tender for setting up 200 MW of grid-connected solar power projects under Uttarakhand Solar Energy Policy-2013 (Amended -2018).

Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.