SECI to float tenders for selling 2,300 MW solar projects

State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) will soon float tenders to put solar projects with 2,300 MW capacity on the block for auction.
Besides, SECI has also signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with various stakeholders for 3,200 MW of solar power, SECI Managing Director Ashvini Kumar informed.
SECI will shortly finalise and float tenders for putting up on the block for auction solar power projects with a total additional capacity of 2,300 MW, to generate solar energy in the next few years, Kumar said at a conference.
The corporation is committed to finalise 5,500 MW of solar energy in next few years for which PPAs to produce 3,200 MW are already in place and tendering process for the remaining 2,300 MW of solar power projects are at various stages of implementation, he said.

Addressing the conference on 'Roadmap to Achieve 175 GW Renewable Energy by 2022', Kumar also said that tendering for 100 MW of rooftop solar power projects have already been approved for government buildings as a separate package by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
"Following encouragement from the government to spur up and promote Make in India, the SECI has been specifying in its tendering documents a domestic content in solar power plants to also ensure level playing," Kumar said.
According to him, Tamil Nadu has taken a lead in putting up solar power projects to a total capacity of 1,590 MW followed by Rajasthan and Gujarat with 1,370 MW and 1,158 MW respectively, whereas Andhra Pradesh has succeeded in creating a substantial solar capacity in its geographical landscape.

An international energy university is also going to come up in Andhra Pradesh for which a draft bill will be presented in state assembly during the budget session, M Kamalakar Babu (VC&MD), New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andra Pradesh informed.