NTPC Limited has retendered 750 MW of solar capacity at the Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka. The international open category tender will close on May 18, 2017. The entire capacity of 750 MW comprises six individual 125 MW projects. The project includes designing, engineering, manufacturing, supply, packing and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation and commissioning of utility-scale projects. As per NTPC, developers will provide comprehensive operations and maintenance (O&M), for the project and the transmission system for a period of five years from the date of successful completion of the trial run. The capacity was initially tendered in February 2016, but the closing date was extended to May 2017 due to insufficient infrastructure and the lack of availability of evacuation.
In a related development, NTPC Limited has retendered 250 MW of solar projects at the Pavagada solar park under the domestic content requirement category. The entire capacity is divided into five blocks of 50 MW each. The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission has released a new benchmark tariff of Rs 4.51 per kWh for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, which will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2017. Fortum has commissioned a 70 MW solar plant at the Bhadla solar park in Rajasthan. The company won the contract in a reverse auction in January 2016 and signed the power purchase agreement (PPA) with NTPC Limited. Fortum currently has 85 MW of solar capacity in the country, with three solar power plants in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.