The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) has invited bids for 250 MW of decentralised solar projects under component-A of the state’s Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) programme. MSEDCL has set a tariff ceiling of Rs 3.30 /kWh. The central government intends to establish 10,000 MW of grid-connected solar power projects with individual project sizes up to 2 MW under Component A of the PM-KUSUM programme.
Individual project capacity is limited to 500 kW. As per the tender guidelines, interested bidders must submit a Rs 100,000 per MW as an earnest money deposit. The projects should be commissioned within 12 months of the work being issued. The successful bidders must submit a performance bank guarantee of Rs 100,000 per MW within 30 days of the work order’s issuance. They should have a net worth of Rs 10 million per MW as of the end of the previous financial year. Their net annual turnover should be at least Rs 2.5 million per MW. The bidders must have the ability to generate internal resources in the form of profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes for a bid.
The declared capacity utilisation factor must never be less than 15 per cent over a year. MSEDCL has stated that the mono-crystalline or poly-crystalline modules used for the project must be from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Approved List of Models and Manufacturers. The deadline for bid submissions is March 15, 2023.
In February 2023, MSEDCL floated bids for 500 MW of power from intrastate grid-connected solar projects, with an additional 500 MW greenshoe option. According to the tender guidelines, the bidders must submit a bid processing fee of Rs 300,000. Also, they must also provide Rs 400,000 per MW as an earnest money deposit.
