EPC solar tender capacity reduced to 500 MW

NTPC has revised its previous tender for an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) package for 600 MW of solar projects across India by reducing the tender capacity to 500 MW of solar projects limited to Gujarat. 

  NTPC had initially floated the project in May when it invited bids for an EPC package and acquired land to build solar projects up to 600 MW capacity. These interstate transmission systems (ISTS), connecting solar projects across states, were initially planned to be developed throughout India.

As per the company’s revised tender, the scope of work of the project in Gujarat will now include the design, engineering, manufacturing, supplying, installation, and commissioning. As against this, the original scope included the complete EPC work necessary to build the project and the power evacuation system up to the closest substation. NTPC declined to comment on reasons that led to these changes.

The last day to submit bids for the project was also changed from June 22 to November 24. Now, the project size must be quoted in multiples of 10 MW and must be at least 50 MW or higher. A single bidder can quote a maximum of 300 MW of projects.

The interested bidders are expected to pay a bid security amount. For projects up to 50 MW, the amount is Rs 2 crore. The amount for projects in the range 60 MW-110 MW is Rs 5 crore; those in the range 120 MW-220 MW attract a security amount of Rs 10 crore; for projects in the 230 MW-300 MW range, that amount is Rs 20 crore.

The selected bidders must provide three years of operation and maintenance (O&M) services for the project including the switchyard and the power evacuation system up to the ISTS utility’s substation. Qualifications mandate that the bidders must have worked on projects previously, with a similar scope of work for at least a total of 40 MW. One of those previous projects should have been of 10 MW or higher, and operational for at least six months.

On the other hand, applicants who have worked as  developers or EPC contractors in the areas of power, oil and gas, petrochemical, steel, fertilizer, coal mining, cement, coal handling etc with a total value of Rs 210 crore  or higher, in the last 10 years, are also allowed to apply.

Eligible bidders must have made a minimum of Rs 210 crore in the last three years. The average annual turnover requirements are the same.

NTPC has commissioned projects of 875 MW and has about 2.3 GW of projects under development pipeline, as of June 2020. As per Mercom’s India Solar Project Tracker, NTPC has also issued tenders for 14.6 GW of large-scale power projects.