NIWE Invites Bids for LiDAR Sensors at Tamil Nadu

The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has floated a tender for the supply, installation, and commissioning of an integrated floating buoy for mounting offshore light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors as well as meteorological and oceanographic sensors at three locations in the Gulf of Mannar off the coast of Tamil Nadu.

The deadline for bid submissions is September 26, 2022. The objective of the project is to gather information on the characteristics of offshore wind resources, such as wind speed and direction at various heights using wind profiling LiDAR, air and sea surface temperatures, current, ocean speeds and directions, and wave heights and directions.

The successful bidder will also be accountable for the project’s operation and upkeep for a full year, per the tender’s specifications. An earnest money deposit of Rs 1.5 crores is required from the bidders. A security deposit of 3% of the order value must also be given by the chosen bidder within 30 days of receiving the purchase order. The bidders must be reputable producers, suppliers, or dealers with a minimum of five years’ worth of experience. Their annual turnover should not have been less than Rs 9 crore over the previous three financial years.

Tata Power and the Tamil Nadu government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in July 2022, as part of which Tata Power would invest roughly Rs 3000 crores in the creation of a 4 GW solar cell and solar module manufacturing facility in the state. The aforementioned greenfield facility would be built in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. 2,000 new jobs would be created thanks to this investment.

The bidder will be responsible for submitting all required paperwork in the correct format and with the required information as deemed essential by the MOD. All such clearance costs should be included in the quoted price.

This tender’s main goal is to “Supply and Install Three Integrated Floating Buoys for Mounting Offshore LiDAR Along with Meteorological and Oceanographic Sensors.” Delivery, testing, validation, demonstration, training, installation, and commissioning with a full year of operation and maintenance from the date of installation for all associated floating buoys, LiDARs, and sensors.

Aof 30 June 2022, Tamil Nadu had the highest installed wind power capacity of any state at 9,867 megawatts (MW), ranking it first among all states. As of June 30, 2022, the total installed capacity of wind power projects across the nation was 40,788 MW.

Bidders can view/download this NIWE LiDAR project tender documents and technical specifications here.