Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) has released two empanelment tenders. The first tender is to select engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) cum operations and maintenance (O&M) contractors for the establishment of solar power projects. The second tender aims to empanel module suppliers for bulk procurement of solar modules. These empanelment opportunities will be open to all regions in India and will remain valid for a duration of two years.Interested parties must submit their bids for both tenders before the deadline of August 23, 2023. The bid opening for both tenders will take place on the same day.EPC Tender Details:The EPC tender has three categories based on bid capacities:a) Less than or equal to 100 MWb) Above 100 MW to 500 MWc) Above 500 MWBidders have the option to apply for one or more categories. The implementation time for each category is as follows:a) Minimum of two years from the award dateb) Minimum of two years and four months from the award datec) Minimum of two years and six months from the award dateSelected bidders will be responsible for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the projects for a period of three years.Eligibility Criteria for EPC Empanelment:Category 'a':- Bidders must have commissioned at least 50 MW of solar projects in the last three years.- Among these, at least one project with a capacity of 20 MW or higher should be installed at a single location.Category 'b':- Bidders must have commissioned at least 250 MW of solar projects, including at least one project with a capacity of 100 MW or higher.Category 'c':- Bidders must have commissioned at least 350 MW of solar projects, including at least one project with a capacity of 150 MW or higher.Additionally, bidders must meet the following financial requirements for each category:- Category 'a': Minimum average annual turnover of Rs 350 million ($4.2 million)- Category 'b': Minimum average annual turnover of Rs 1.8 billion ($21.7 million)- Category 'c': Minimum average annual turnover of Rs 2.6 billion ($31.4 million)Module Supply Tender Details:The module supply tender requires bidders to be original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of various types of solar modules, including monocrystalline, polycrystalline, thin film, mono-perc, half-cut, and bi-facial modules. Selection for specific module types will be based on certification by HPCL.Eligibility Criteria for Module Suppliers:- Bidders must have a minimum annual module manufacturing capacity of 500 MWp.- The minimum capacity of the solar module for empanelment is 540 Wp.- Bidders must have manufactured and supplied modules of at least 25 MWp capacities for a single project in the last three years.- The reference project should have been in operation for at least three months before the bid submission date.- Bidders should have an average annual turnover of Rs 2 billion ($24.2 million) during the last three financial years.Warranty Requirements:The modules provided by the selected suppliers must have a minimum warranty period of 10 years against material defects and workmanship failures. Bidders must also commit to offering service support to the EPC vendor selected by HPCL throughout the entire warranty period.Modules must maintain at least 90 per cent of peak output wattage after ten years and 80 per cent after 25 years.In a previous call for bids in April, HPCL invited proposals for the EPC of 11 MW of solar power projects at its sites in Panipat and Jhansi for captive use in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.