A call for bids has been invited by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL)
for the purchase of 1,000 MW of solar energy from projects to be established in the state. The bids
must be submitted by March 17, 2023 and the bids will be opened the same day. For the tender,
MSEDCL has set a ceiling tariff of Rs 3.30/kWh.
Bidders will be required to pay a bid processing fee of Rs 10,000 along with 18% GST. They must also
provide an earnest money payment of Rs 100,000/MW. The winning bidder would be required to
provide a performance bank guarantee in the amount of Rs 500,000/MW within 30 days of the date
the letter of award was issued and prior to the power purchase agreement being signed (PPA).
With the chosen bidders, MSEDCL will sign a power PPA that will last 25 years from the start of
commercial operation. Any projects that are either in the process of construction, have not yet been
commissioned, or have been commissioned but do not have a long-term PPA with any agency and
have the ability to sell on a short-term or merchant project basis are eligible to submit a proposal.
The minimum and maximum capacities for each individual project are 2 MW and 10 MW,
respectively. The project needs to be planned for electricity supply at MSEDCL’s 11/22 kV level
substation. To reduce technology risk and complete project commissioning on schedule, only
commercially viable and operational technologies can be chosen. A bidder’s net worth for the most
recent fiscal year must be at least Rs 5.5 million/MW of the quoted capacity.
A bidder must have a minimum annual turnover of Rs 2.5 million/MW of the capacity that was
quoted during the previous fiscal year. As of the final day of the preceding financial year, bidders
must be able to generate internal resources in the form of Profit Before Depreciation, Interest, and
Taxes for at least Rs 1 million/MW of the specified capacity.