Punjab DISCOM to purchase 300 MW solar power at Rs 2.36/kWh from SECI

11 Jan 2024 CW Team

The tariff for procuring 300 MW of solar power has been approved by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) at Rs 2.36 /KWh. This decision comes in response to a petition submitted by the Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL).

In the initial stages, SECI had issued a tender for the establishment of 2,000 MW of inter-state transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects across India under Tranche-IX. The auction winners, namely Solarpack Corporacion Technologica, Avikiran Surya, AMP Energy Green, Eden Renewable Bercy, IB Vogt Singapore, Ayana Renewable Power, and ReNew Solar Power, were granted the opportunity to develop these projects.

Following the auction, SECI filed a petition with the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to seek approval for adopting the discovered tariff. However, CERC opted to adopt the Rs 2.37 (~$0.029)/kWh tariff presented by Avikiran Surya for the procurement of 300 MW.

Upon this decision, SECI was directed to approach the Commission for the adoption of tariffs for the remaining capacity once the necessary agreements were finalized.

After the CERC?s directive, SECI proceeded to enter into power purchase agreements with the successful bidders. Power sale agreements were formalised for 1,400 MW, while the approval status for the remaining 300 MW remained pending.

The applicable tariffs encompass the tariff specified for the relevant successful bidder, along with a trading margin of Rs 0.07/kWh.

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