Rewa gets ready for 750-Mw solar park

State government starts tendering process; contracts for three units to be awarded by June, via reverse bidding

The government of Madhya Pradesh is inviting tenders for a 750-megawatt (Mw) solar energy park at Rewa. The World Bank-supported project is to be split into three units of grid-mounted solar photovoltaic power plants of 250 Mw each. State-owned Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam has joined hands with Solar Energy Corporation of India to form an equal-stakes venture, Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Ltd, implementing agency for the project. The three units will be developed on a pre-identified land parcel inside the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Project.

A two-stage bidding process will be conducted. The final selection will be through reverse bidding for rates, with no viability gap funding, over an e-bidding platform. The process is likely to be over by June. Those selected will sign a power purchase agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Power Management Corporation (MPPMCL). The former is committed to buy 121 million units (kwh) from each of the three units; MPPMCL will book 80 per cent of the generation capacity. So far, bidding for solar energy parks have been conducted in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Though Karnataka is said to be developing the biggest solar park, with 2,000 Mw capacity in Tumakuru district, the Rewa park will be the largest contiguous project with a single evacuation point.

Altogether, 33 solar energy parks with 19,900 Mw combined capacity are coming up in 21 states. Madhya Pradesh with 2,750 Mw planned is second only to Rajasthan in terms of capacity.

For the financial offer, the bidders will quote the tariff that will be applicable to the relevant Unit for the First Contract Year (initial tariff). The last lowest tariff quoted by an eligible bidder during the Reverse Auction Process, for a unit, will be the sole criterion for determining the Selected Bidder for that units. If at the end of the reverse auction process, no bids are received from any of the eligible bidders for a unit, the eligible bidder with the best quote for that unit will be awarded that unit.

The solar park at Rewa will be coming up on 1,550 hectares of land. Selected bidder will be required to commission 100 mw if awarded one unit, 175 mw if awarded two units and 250 MW if awarded all the three units at the end of 13th month from the signing of project agreements. At the end of 18th month, bidders will have to commission the entire capacity.

Besides one-time payments of around Rs 3.26 crore, bidders for each unit will be required to pay land charges of Rs 5.4 crore, infrastructure charges of Rs 3.58 crore in the first 10 years and Rs 4.9 crore in subsequent 15 years and administrative charges of Rs 75 lakh.