Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) has issued a request for qualification to set up 100 MW of grid-connected floating solar projects on a design, build, own, and operate model. For these floating solar projects, KSEBL is expected to enter 25-year power purchase agreements with solar developers, subject to a tariff approved by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The scope of work comprises design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of floating solar projects and evacuation and transmission of power up to the nearest substation. The winning bidders will be responsible for the operation and maintenance services for these projects. To reduce the technology risk and commission the projects on schedule, the winning bidders must employ only commercially established and operational technology. The projects will be developed at KSEBL’s eight reservoirs and Kerala Water Authority’s two reservoirs. The bidder must submit a proposal for a minimum of 100 MW and at least three of the mentioned reservoir sites. As per the tender guidelines, to be eligible, bidders must have constructed a total of 10 MW of ground-mounted solar or floating solar projects in the last five years. Before the bids are released, at least 100 kW of floating solar projects must be operational for at least three months.
In November 2021, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan programme, the KSEBL issued a request for the selection of renewable power generators to set up 40 MW of solar projects with individual capacities ranging from 500 kW to 2 MW. The tariff ceiling for the tender is Rs 3.66 per kWh.
