NTPC REL Floats 1 GW Land, Power Evacuation Tender In Karnataka

NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC REL) has released a tender for a land and power evacuation package to develop 1 GW (1000 MW) ISTS-connected solar PV projects in the Bidar Region in Karnataka. The tender sets October 24th as the last date for bid submission.

In the brief scope of work, the tender detailed the land-related works. According to this, the bidder is expected to arrange government/private land (5 acres/MW) on a freehold/leasehold basis near a Bidar pooling substation (ISTS) in Karnataka.

The tender clarifies the lease period for this project to be a minimum of 29 years and 11 months. The tender expects the bidder to undertake the following activities:

• The necessary approach road to the Pooling substation, including any interconnection between plots (if not readily available), either by the bidder or through State machinery.
• Topography survey for land parcels and any cutting/filling with 95% compaction, as per the standard Proctor density test, to maintain an average slope of 10% for solar project land for the installation of tracker-based MMS (tracker system is not included in the bidder’s scope). The slope of the land should preferably be in one direction for at least 100 meters in the N-S direction.
• Geotechnical investigation for the pooling substation and transmission system, as required for the design of foundations.
• Fencing of the offered land, including entry/exit gates (minimum of two per plot), and security cabins (as per the tender drawing) for the solar project, except for the transmission line-related land.

Power Evacuation-Related Works

The NTPC-REL also detailed the arrangement of grid connectivity with the Inter-state Transmission System (ISTS) substation in Bidar, Karnataka.

The tender places the onus on the bidder to design, engineer, supply, erect, test, and commission the AIS pooling substation (400 kV or 220 kV as per the quoted capacity) with tie transformers (400 kV/33 kV or 220 kV/33 kV—suitable quantity and rating in line with CEA standard specifications) and associated SAS and protection.

• 33 kV pooling switchgear for the quoted capacity.
• Associated civil work for the substation, including the control room building and pooling switchgear building.

Additionally, the tender mandated the bidder to design and construct an EHV transmission line from the pooling substation to the ISTS substation as per technical specifications and relevant standards, including arranging for the “Right of Way” of the transmission line.

The bidder is also expected to develop a telemetry system for data communication, as per the specifications. This includes the installation of a common power plant controller (main and sub-PPCs) and a grid compliance study for the solar plant capacity associated with the above pooling substation.

Furthermore, the NTPC-REL tender placed the onus on the developer to supply and install various monitoring systems associated with the tie transformers and supply mandatory spares. The bidder is also expected to undertake the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the pooling substation and associated equipment, the EHV transmission line, and the terminal bay at the ISTS end for 3 years from the date of project commissioning.