The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has invited bids under a tender for setting up 200MW of solar power projects. Prospective bidders can propose any number of projects in a given bid. The minimum capacity of a single project is 5MW and the maximum can be 200MW. The bidder must pay an amount of Rs 0.5 million as an earnest money deposit. To be eligible, bidders must have a net worth of Rs 10 million and experience in the construction and operation of solar power projects valuing at least Rs 250 million. The last date to submit bids is October 9, 2020.
The KSEB had initially floated the tender in December 2018, and then again in March 2019 with modifications but it had to be cancelled due to poor response. Kerala State Electricity Regulation Commission (KSERC) suggested that provisions in the PPA must be modified and the penalties imposed on generation below the capacity utilisation factor must be assessed. KSEB filed a petition on October 14, 2019 for approval of modifications to the bidding documents. The KSERC have permitted KSEB to retain the initial ceiling tariff of Rs 3 per kWh.