MSEDCL Issues Tender for 500 MW Solar-Wind Hybrid Project

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) has issued a tender inviting bids for procuring 500 MW wind-solar hybrid power on a long-term basis from grid-connected interstate and intrastate projects. The projects shall be awarded through competitive bidding followed by reverse auction. MSEDCL will enter into a 25 years long power purchase agreement (PPA) with the winning bidders who will set up the hybrid power projects including the transmission/distribution network up to the delivery point.

The tender document states, “The inter/intra-state wind-solar hybrid projects already commissioned but do not have any long-term PPA with any agency can/may be considered, in case these projects are not already accepted under any other Central or State Schemes and do not have any obligations towards existing buyers.”

While the minimum size of inter-state projects will be 50 MW at one site to be interconnected to a single delivery point, the minimum size of intra-state projects is 25 MW, of which 10 MW must be located at one site. The rated project capacity of one resource (wind or solar) in the wind-solar hybrid power project should be at least 33% of the total contracted capacity. The deadline for the submission of the bid is June 8, 2021.

The eligibility criteria to qualify as a bidder are these: 1. The bidder must have net worth equal to or higher than Rs 1 crore per MW for the last financial year; 2. The minimum annual turnover of the bidder should be Rs 75 lakh per MW of the quoted capacity during the last financial year as of the date at least seven days before the bid submission date; 3. The internal resource generation capacity (i.e. profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes) must be equal to or higher than Rs 15 lakh per MW of the quoted capacity on the last date of the previous financial year; 4. The bidder must have a letter from the lending institution committing a ‘line of credit’ for a minimum amount of Rs 18.70 lakh per MW of the quoted capacity, so as to meet the working capital requirement of the project.

A day earlier than this announcement, MSEDCL had issued an RFS (request for selection) to procure solar power up to capacity of 500 MW from grid connected solar projects through a competitive bidding process, followed by reverse auction. The pre-bid meeting for that is scheduled to take place on May 18, and the last date for submitting bids is June 4, 2021.