SECI invites bids for 15 MW Rooftop Solar Projects on MCD Buildings
12 Jul 2023 CW Team
The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is seeking developers to install 15 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar projects on buildings owned by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) through the renewable energy service company (RESCO) model. The selected developer will be responsible for operating and maintaining the projects for a period of 25 years as part of the power purchase agreement (PPA).
Interested bidders must submit their proposals by August 22, 2023, and the bids will be opened on August 25. To participate, bidders must provide an earnest money deposit of Rs 1.028 million ($12,436) per MW of quoted capacity.
The successful bidder will also need to provide a performance bank guarantee of Rs 2.57 million ($31,091) per MW/project of the allotted capacity before signing the PPA. Additionally, an O&M performance bank guarantee of Rs 514,000 ($6,218) per MW/project of allotted capacity, valid for three years from the commissioning date, must be submitted.
The projects are required to be commissioned within nine months from the effective date of the PPA. Bidders can submit a single bid offering a minimum cumulative capacity of 500 kW and a maximum cumulative capacity of 15 MW based on the building details.
To minimise technology risk and ensure timely commissioning, only commercially established and operational technologies should be utilised for the projects. Bidders must have prior experience in designing, installing, and commissioning grid-connected solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of at least 50 per cent of the quoted capacity over the past seven years before the bid submission deadline. The projects should have been operational for at least one year prior to the bid submission date.
Additionally, bidders should demonstrate experience in designing, supplying, installing, and commissioning at least two grid-connected solar power projects with individual capacities not less than 50 kW during the last seven financial years. These projects should have been operational for at least one year prior to the bid submission date.
The net worth of bidders should be at least Rs 10.28 million ($124,362) per MW of quoted capacity as of the previous financial year's last day. Bidders should also provide evidence of a minimum average annual turnover of Rs 20.56 million ($248,725) per MW of quoted capacity during the past three financial years.
Furthermore, bidders must demonstrate working capital or a line of credit with a letter from a lending institution, showing a net worth of no less than Rs 5 billion ($60.49 million) for the last financial year, with a minimum amount of Rs 12.85 million ($155,453) per MW of the quoted capacity.
The selected solar power developer will be responsible for obtaining connectivity and necessary approvals for grid connection and net metering. In a related development, SECI recently published a list of approved engineering, procurement, and construction contractors for 50 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar systems on government buildings across various states under the RESCO model. SECI has allocated 16.48 MW of the total capacity of 50 MW.
Previously, SECI disbursed Rs 40.9 million ($495,480) as subsidies for the rooftop solar program in April 2023, marking a 194 per cent increase compared to the previous month's disbursement of Rs 13.9 million ($168,023).