SECI issues RfS for 500 MW/ 1000MWh standalone BESS pilot projects in India
Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has issued a detailed Request for Selection (RfS) document for setting up pilot projects of 500 MW/ 1000MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in India under tariff-based Global Competitive Bidding (ESS-I) guidelines.
This follows the Union Government's approval last October to invite expression of interest (EoI) to set up a 1 GWh BESS pilot project in the country to kick-start grid-connected stationary storage energy systems in the country.
A pre-bid meeting has been scheduled on 6th May 2022 at 10:00 in this regard, while the last date for submission of bids has been declared as 10th June 2022, 6:00 PM. The bids will be opened on the 15th of June this year.
A joint initiative of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable energy and Ministry of Power, the projects under the scheme are required to be located nearby to be linked to the 400/220 KV Fatehgarh-III substations connected to the interstate transmission system (ISTS) network in Rajasthan.
The projects must be commissioned within 18 months from the date of the battery energy storage purchase agreement (BESPA) and will be run under the BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) model.
A total capacity of 500 MW/ 1000MWh in a single location must be set up, with two units each of 250MW/ 500 MWh capacity allowed in close locations. Bidders are required to submit a single bid with the required capacity of either one or two units of 250MW/ 500 MWh capacity.
According to SECI's tender requirements, the net worth of an interested bidder must be equal to or more than ₹ 74 lakhs per MW of the quoted capacity, along with a minimum turnover of ₹ 29 lakhs per MW.
The bidder can also show Profit before Depreciation, Interest, and Taxes (PBDIT) for a minimum amount of ₹ 580,000 per MW. All the above three conditions are subject to the last date of the financial year ending March 31, 2021, or at least 7 days before the bid submission deadlines.
