SECI Issues Tender To Study Solar Project Feasibility In South Andaman

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a tender today seeking bidders who could undertake technical studies in South Andaman to develop regional solar projects. The central agency has now sought agencies to conduct the geotechnical study and topography survey near the Mithakhari site in the South Andaman district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

SECI has asked the interested parties to submit their bids by the end of August 4. It announced to open the techno commercial bids on August 4. As per the tender-related documents of SECI, Mithakhari village, which comes under the South Andaman district, has around 40.12 hectares of land that can be utilized to establish a solar power project there.

The authorities have already earmarked this patch of land. The coastal land shortest distance from the sea is 150 metres, and the longest distance from the sea is 1.3 km away from the sea.

A local authority claimed that the land is free from all sorts of encumbrances, encroachments and obstructions while it also does not come under any forest area. As per the mandate of the tender, the bidders would have to take care of the examination of the soil and water samples and conduct electrical resistivity tests at specified locations, among other scrutiny, to study the feasibility of solar projects in the area.

The whole South Andaman district is spread over an area of 3106 sq-km with a population of 2.38 lakh with three blocks and 99 revenue villagers. It just has one municipality, nine police stations, and three tehsils.

The Union government earlier had also planned to deploy solar energy projects for South Andaman to boost the penetration of clean energy in the area. It planned to help the eco-sensitive zone to shun fossil-fuel-based energy.