After Karnataka, it is the turn of the Solar Energy Corporation of India(SECI) to release RfS documents for implementation of Rooftop PV systems in 6 cities across India. These projects are under the Phase 2 of the JNNSM. Other states like Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have also announced their intention to set up rooftop PV projects in the recent past. Some salient features are given below.
1. The total allocation will be 10 MW in the following cities – Delhi, Bhubhaneswar(1 MW each), Gurgaon, Chhattisgarh, Bangalore and Chennai(2 MW each). The size of each project shall be in the range of 100kWp to 500 kWp and each bidder can bid between 250 kW and 2 MW capacity.It should be noted that MNRE had recently increased the size of the projects eligible for subsidy to 500 kWp. It had also made grid-tied systems eligible for subsidy. Click here for more details.
The minimum capacity of the plants can be achieved by aggregating the buildings in the same campus, but the grid connectivity should be at a single point in the building.
2. The bidder should separately bid for each city.
3. Earnest Money Deposit – Rs. 3.9 Lakhs/100 kWp
4. Scope of work – Identification of building, getting No Objection Certificate for grid connection from Distribution Company(DISCOM), Turnkey Engineering Procurement and Construction(EPC) of the project and Operation and Maintenance(O&M) for 2 years. This includes warranty of components for 2 years and the bidder will be responsible for the insurance of the plants.
5. Metering and Grid connectivity will be responsibility of the bidder.
6 Plant performance – Minimum Performance Ratio(PR) 75% at the time of initial project acceptance and Minimum CUF of 15% shoule be maintained for 2 years. (For more details about the difference PR and CUF, please click here).
7. Qualifying Criteria
– Net worth – Rs. 3 Crore/MW or annual average turnover of Rs. 5 Crores during the past 3 years.
– Bidder should have minimum 2 years’ experience in successful installation of grid connected PV projects. At least one project should be 25 kWp or more and the aggregate capacity should be more than 250 kWp.
8. Bidders to quote their bids in Rs/Wp separately for each city.The bid price cannot be above the reserved price of Rs. 130/Wp.
9. The bidders will be selected with lowest price up to the target capacity for each city.
10. Identification of rooftop space will be responsibility of the bidder, but it is not mandatory to submit the details of the rooftop project at the time of RfS submission.
11. Subsidy disbursal – SECI will release 30% subsidy for the projects as per the following schedule
– 20% after commissioning and acceptance of the project
– 5% at the end of the 1 year O&M period
– 5% at the end of the 2 year O&M period
12. Timeline
13. Pre-bid meeting – 21.01.2013; Last date for bid submission – 07.02.2013(2 pm); Date of financial bids opening – 21.02.2013 at 2 pm.
The document can be downloaded here.
Update: SECI has notified certain amendments and issued some clarifications. The details can be accessed here.
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Thanks for the lucid posting. I am planning to attend the Pre-bid meeting, and would update the readers about the discussions.
Main highlights of the Pre-Bid Meeting on 21 Jan. at SECI office, New Delhi:
– Mr. Tarun Kapoor, Jt. Secy., MNRE & Acting MD, SECI; Dr. Ashwini Kumar, Direcor (PV) along with 4 others officials of SECI attended the meeting.
– Over 40 companies attended the pre-bid meeting. Notables are SunEdison, Lanco, L&T, Tata Power Solar, Chemtrol Solar, ReNew Power, Godrej, Panelclaw etc.
– Main aim is to roll out these projects in select cities as Pilot Projects and monitor the performance data of these plants before announcing a nation-wide program.
– SECI may revise one of the clauses of the Qualifying Criteria. Bidder’s with minimum 6 months experience (instead of 2 years’ earlier) in successful installation of grid connected PV projects would be eligible. At least one project should be 25 kWp or more and the aggregate capacity should be more than 250 kWp.
– Indian companies with overseas partners would be eligible to bid.
– Bidders would be allowed 3 months to secure the roof space for setting up the plants in their territories. There might be some relaxation in this timeline in view of our complex govt/municipal approval processes.
– Few participants requested to complete the Subsidy Disbursal at the end of year one. But, SECI is firm on the two year time frame as outlined in the RfS.
– Power from these plants need to be consumed by the roof owner; and its immediate neighbour if there is a surplus.
Hi Debasish,
Thank you very much for sharing the highlights of the pre-bid meeting.
Dear Madhavan, Can you please provide one clarification.
1. Who will bear the project cost? Will SECI cover this or the individual owner of institution/ government building have to pay for the project?
2. If building owner is to pay for the project, how is it different from the 100KW system 30% subsidy that is already available from MNRE?
Regards
vikram
1. I believe the project developer will have to bear the project cost in any case.
2. This is precisely the query that we had raised earlier. Our understanding is that SECI would help provide a greater amount of quality control and payment security to safeguard the interests of the both the system integrator and the developer.
I was just going to say the same. But with other payouts being delayed (One Agra project we visited had some issues getting the 30% subsidy out) it might just be enough of a boost to have SECI and MNRE in your back. Also, it is them buying the project right? So they are subsidizing by buying the projects, right?
Jonas, the project would be paid for by the developer. SECI will not own the project but is likely to act as the medium for project validation and subsidy disbursal.
Hello Jonas – Who are you referring to by “them buying the project” – MNRE/SECI? As I understand from Hari SECI Is not buying the project.
The only advantage as I see is that now we get a clear sanction from SECI for projects upto 500KW size. But the challenge is still to find a developer who will invest this. The main advantage of this scheme is for RESCO’s who are willing to setup project on a 3rd party premise and sell power.
IS the final decisions/changes to RFS after the Pre-bid meeting already out?
Regards
Vikram
Vikram, my understanding is that the off-grid or small scale policy has been amended by MNRE to include all projects up to 500 kW i.e. its not just the projects coming up under this particular scheme (lets call it the SECI scheme).
Hi Madhavan,
I’d reiterate the same query of Vikram – Who is going to buy the power and at what tariff? Unless this is not clear, I don’t think an investor will put 70% of the project money. May be SECI and MNRE has to clarify this. Till now I haven’t received answer to my query from them. As soon as I get it, will post.
Regards,
CS
Dear Chandrashekhar,
SECI’s job is limited to providing capital subsidy of 30%. Sale of power and the tariff is the owner’s responsibility. Just in case you haven’t read the clarifications, you can find it at http://re-solve.in/perspectives-and-insights/solar-rooftop-programme-seci-relaxes-qualifying-criteria-for-rfs/