Hindustan Salts Ltd Seeks Bids for 1000MW solar projects in Gujarat

A view of the Solar Plant

Hindustan Salts Limited (HSL) has invited online bids for the development of 1000 MW of solar PV projects at Kharaghoda in Surendranagar district, Gujarat.

Key dates of the tender are as follows:

• Last date of bid submission: May 30, 2022 at 3 PM
• Date of bid opening: May 31, 2022 at 3 PM
• Time and date of pre-bid meeting: May 12, 2022 at 3 PM
• Pre-bid venue: Hindustan Salts Limited, G-229, Sitapura Industrial Area, Jaipur-302022, Rajasthan
• Date and Time for the Site Visit : May 9, 2022 at 11 AM
• Address: Office of General Manager (Works) ,Hindustan Salts Limited, Kharaghoda, Dist.-Surendranagar, Gujarat Pin-382 760

HSL was incorporated in 1958 as a company fully owned by the Government of India to take over the salt sources at Sambhar, Didwana and Kharaghoda.

In November last year, Sambhar Salts Limited (SSL), a subsidiary of Hindustan Salts Limited, invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from relevant parties for the development of an ultra mega solar power project, with around 4000 MW capacity, at Sambhar district, Jaipur.

A month later, that plan, always an ambitious stretch considering the many issues with the firm as well as its non-existent expertise in the solar space, was quickly questioned and rendered stuck in litigation at the Rajasthan High court, due to the risks to the ecology of the Sambhar wetlands environment arising out of such a project. Critics argue that a 4000 MW project would require at least 16,000 acres of land and the impact of such a venture would be detrimental to the ecosystem around the wetland.

For the record, the Sambhar lake has been declared a Ramsar site by the UN, but it remains in a limbo as far as its legal status as a wetland goes in India, as no such notification declaring it a wetland has been issued formally.

Nevertheless, in the case of Hindustan Salts, which actually claims to have almost 58,000 acres of land under its control, including land that has been encroached on, the Rajasthan High Court’s order to not take any further steps might not translate into a closure on its plans, as it might yet find the requisite land in other places. Either way, a project that was always a long shot has become that much more difficult to envisage.

The firm will be hoping that it’s Gujarat land will provide it better luck with its desperate push to get into Solar power generation.