SECI Amends Bid Deadline for 5 MW Solar Plant at Tuticorin Port

SECI has extended the bid submission deadline for its tender for the 5 MW solar PV plant at the V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Tuticorin

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced that it has extended the bid submission deadline for its tender for the commissioning of a 5 MW grid-connected solar PV power plant at the V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.

The last date for bid submission has been extended from August 21, 2020, to September 4, 2020, and the techno-commercial bids will now be opened on the new bid deadline day.

SECI had issued the tender for the 5 MW solar plant in early July.

VOCPT (formerly Tuticorin Port Trust) is one of the 13 major ports in India and also the second-largest port in Tamil Nadu and fourth-largest container terminal in India. And it wants to implement green energy projects by way of setting up a 5 MW solar plant at the port. The project will leap VOCPT towards the use of green energy by providing means to self-reliant and economical energy which would capitalise the abundance of solar energy.

The scope of work for the selected bidders will include the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of the solar power plant at the port. The developers will also be required to provide comprehensive operation and maintenance services for the plant for a period of 10 years from the date of successful commissioning. The O&M responsibilities will include the supply and storage of all mandatory spare parts, consumables, repairs/ replacement of any defective equipment, etc.

The bidders are also required to submit an Earnest Money Deposit of Rs 44.8 lakh along with their bids.

To be eligible for participating in the bidding process, the bidder must have experience in EPC execution of ground-mounted solar projects on turnkey basis including design, supply (supply of modules and inverters can be inclusive or exclusive in the bidder’s scope in the past experience), installation and commissioning of cumulative capacity not less than 3 MW in last seven financial years. However, such capacity must have been in satisfactory operation for at least six months prior to the last date of bid submission. (There are other routes for bidders to enter the bidding process)

Financially, the Minimum Average Annual Turnover (MAAT) of the bidder in the last three financial years (i.e. FY 2016-2017, 2017-18 and 2018-19) should be Rs 8.96 crore, along with a positive net worth. Furthermore, the bidder should have a minimum working capital of Rs 5.6 crore.