PM KUSUM: PEDA Issues Bid For Solarizing 75,000 Agricultural Pumps

PM KUSUM: PEDA Issues Bid For Solarizing 75,000 Agricultural Pumps

The Punjab Renewable Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has issued a tender seeking parties who can install and operate grid-connected solar pumps. Through this tender, the state nodal agency has planned to solarise 75,000 grid connected agricultural pumps through RESCO mode.

These bidders will be selected through a tariff-based competitive bidding process through e-reverse auction through bucket filling method with the the rights of sale of surplus solar power for a period of 25 years. The tender document said that the solar power generated by these plants will be procured by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) at a tariff derived through the selection process of the individual plant duly accepted/adopted by the Punjab Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The bidders can submit their online bids by September 23 while the technical bid will be opened on September 24. “The objective of this RfS is to implement Component-C of MNRE’s PM-KUSUM scheme in Punjab for solarisation of 75,000 grid connected pumps under feeder level solarisation and to select the bidders for purchase of power from the Solar Power Projects set up in accordance with the provisions of this RfS document and standard Power Purchase Agreement (PPA),” the firm said in its objective. 

The company also said that the selected Solar Power Generator will install solar power project(s) along with its associated 11 kV line to connect the plant with concerned 66 KV evacuating substation and Remote Monitoring System of solar power plant as per the terms and conditions of this RfS & PPA. 

These solar power generators are also expected to identify the project land for each solar plant preferably within the distance of 5 KM radius of the respective 66 KV substation, get ownership of land or its lease rights and make necessary arrangement including clearances for the 11 KV transmission line between evacuating substation and the solar power plant. The tender has also been mandated to maintain the annual Capacity Utilisation Factor (CUF) of 19 percent. 

“It shall be the responsibility of the SPG, entirely at its cost and expense, to install such number of solar panels and associated equipment as may be necessary to achieve the required annual CUF of 19% throughout the PPA tenure of 25 years, and for this purpose selected bidder shall make its own study and investigation of the Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI) and other factors prevalent in the area which have implication on the quantum of generation,” the tender document read. 

PEDA also asked the bidders to ensure taking care of all the costs associated with the setting up of the project including its Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for 25 years.  The PEDA tender also clarified that the project awarded under this RfS would not include energy storage with solar power plants.