GESCL Floats 35 MW/57 MWh Solar+Storage EPC Tender

The Gujarat State Corporation Limited (GESCL) has issued a Request for Proposal (RfP) to appoint contractors for the design, engineering, installation, construction, commissioning & operation and maintenance of a 35 MW (AC) solar PV grid-connected power plant along with a minimum 57 MWH battery energy storage system, with 12 years O&M, at its Kutch Lignite Thermal Power Station Pandhro site in Kutch district, Gujarat.

The deadline to submit bids through e-tendering is September 29, 2021, at 4 p.m. Bids will be opened on October 6, while the pre-bid meeting will be held on September 18. The bid will be valid for 180 days from the date of opening of the technical bid.

“It is mandatory for all Bidders to submit their Price Bid (Appendix 15) only through on- line (e-tendering) mode. Price Bids submitted in physical form shall not be considered for its opening and only on-line submitted price bid will be considered for evaluation,” says GESCL’s tender document.

Successful bidder will have to submit 10% of the contract value security deposit plus performance bank guarantee within seven days from the date of the issuance of the Letter of Intent.

The qualification criteria for successful bidders include:

• The applicant must have designed, supplied, supervised, and commissioned solar power projects of a total installed capacity of 100 MW (minimum installed capacity of 1 MW) in India on or after April 01, 2014.
• The applicant must have installed and commissioned at least one project of 30 MW or higher capacity or at least two projects of 20 MW each or higher capacity, or at least three power projects of 15 MW each or higher capacity.
• The applicant must have successfully executed the design, engineering, procurement, testing, and commissioning of at least three grid-connected BESS projects, each having an individual capacity of 5 MW/MWh in India or outside India.
• The cumulative turnover of the bidder during the last three financial years should be ₹2.3 billion, and the net worth of the bidder during the last financial year should be positive.

Solar developers in Gujarat have been facing challenges of late, as evidenced by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) receiving 2605 applications from aspiring solar developers to exit their project commitments, after the utlity offered a one time exit option to developers from the signed PPA’s. The development followed the decision by the state government to offer zero subsidy for these smaller projects, at a fixed tariff of Rs 2.83/kWh or unit.