Portal for e-auction of power transmission projs

To enhance transparency in transmission sector, the Power Ministry today launched a portal for electronic bidding and e-reverse auction of tariff-based electricity transmission projects.
The ministry and state-run auctioneer MSTC launched the web portal to mark a shift from present manual auction process to electronic mode for determining the lowest bidder for the projects, the ministry said in a release.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal said that on the lines of coal sector, reverse auction is being introduced in transmission sector to facilitate better price discovery in such projects.
Besides, Goyal also launched the 'DEEP' (Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price) e-Bidding' portal for medium term (1-5 years) purchase of power.

The minister said that the portal will provide a common e-bidding platform with e-reverse auction facility to facilitate nation-wide power procurement through a wider network so as to bring uniformity and transparency in the process of power procurement.
Earlier the government had launched the facility to buy power for short term (one day to one year) which received good response. The portal is expected to extend the facility for long term power purchase beyond five years.

The minister also launched 'TARANG' (Transmission App for Real Time Monitoring & Growth) Mobile App to monitor execution of the under construction power transmission projects.

The app will also give information on delayed transmission projects and issues halting them.
The minister said that Green Energy Corridors, an important component of renewable energy mission, would also be monitored through TARANG.
Goyal said that by the introduction of e-bidding and e-reverse auction for medium term (1-5 years), the time span of the complete bidding process and the cost of procurement of power is expected to be reduced substantially, thereby significantly benefiting the ultimate consumers.
The minister said e-bidding portal was launched on April
12, 2016 for procurement of short term power by discoms.
Thereafter, eight states -- Uttarakhand, Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Assam, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, along with other private discoms including Torrent Power and NPCL -- have conducted e-bidding and around 18,000 MW has been requisitioned through the DEEP portal.

As a result of the transparent procurement process, these states have obtained substantially lower rates of power for their short term procurement.
The portal is based on the Guidelines for Medium Term Procurement of Power, which was notified by government in 2014 and amended on May 2015.
In order to facilitate the use of portal and to bring clarity in the system, necessary amendments will be brought in the guidelines through addendum at the earliest.
Goyal also said the scope of this portal shall be further expanded soon to cover medium term and long term procurement of power.