Adani floats tender for 350 MW of Hybrid Wind-Solar Projects to meet its RPO

Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) has issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for establishing 350 MW of grid-connected wind-solar hybrid power projects.

An additional 350 MW capacity has been tendered under the greenshoe option of the global competitive bidding process.

The pre-bid meeting will be held on July 29, 2019. The bid submission deadline for both the technical and financial bids is August 9, 2019.

An earnest money deposit of ₹0.5 million (~$ 7,247)/MW for each project must be submitted as a bank guarantee in this regard. The project has been sanctioned to fulfill the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) of Adani Electricity. The company will sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the selected bidders for the purchase of wind and solar hybrid power for 25 years from the commercial operation date.

A maximum bid of 700 MW capacity can be offered by an interested bidder, including the 350 MW offered under the greenshoe option.

Hybrid power project includes two parts, one solar and one wind. The rated project capacity of either of the components should be more than 25% of the rated capacity of the other component. The project will be set up based on open access regulations.

The eligibility criteria state that the bidders can be an individual or group entities and can submit multiple bids with a cumulative capacity less than or equal to 700 MW. The minimum project capacity will be 50 MW. If the bidder wants to set up more than a single project, the projects must have separate injection points and metering arrangements.

Foreign companies can apply on a standalone basis or member of a conglomerate at the RfS phase. Once the standalone foreign company is selected in the bidding process, it has to form an Indian company registered in line with the Indian laws.

Technical eligibility criteria state that the bidders should submit details about solar panels and wind turbines that will be used in the projects. The wind turbine models should comply with those listed in the revised list of models and manufacturers (RLMM) issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Solar modules and balance of systems have to adhere to technical guidelines prescribed by the MNRE.

The hybrid projects can be set up anywhere in India on a build own operate (BOO) basis. The projects must be designed for interconnection with the transmission network of the state or central transmission utility at a voltage of 220 kV or more. The minimum project size is 50 MW to be interconnected at a single delivery point.

Earlier, Adani Renewable Energy Park (Gujarat) Limited (AREPGL), a subsidiary of Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), bagged a 600 MW of solar-wind hybrid power projects auctioned by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). Adani Green Energy Limited was the lowest bidder in the auction by SECI that was conducted for a 1,200 MW ISTS-connected solar-wind hybrid power project under Tranche-II. Adani Green Energy quoted a tariff of ₹2.69 (~$0.0387)/kWh to establish 600 MW of solar-wind hybrid projects.

Recently, the Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL) also invited bids to set up 140 MW of wind-solar hybrid projects.