The Ministry of Power has clarified that power stations must always be available and ready to dispatch power according to the Tariff Policy 2016. Power generators can sell surplus power in the power market to best use unutilized generation capacity.

The clarification, sent to energy departments of all states and generating companies, comes amid concerns that some power generators are not offering surplus power in the power market, leading to unused capacity.

In October 2021, the Ministry of Power issued guidelines for operationalizing the optimum utilization of generating stations as per the requirements of the electricity grid. These guidelines aim to ensure that power generators can effectively utilize their capacity by selling surplus power in the market.

Section 9(5) of the Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge and Related Matters) Rules of 2022, later amended in 2024, empowers generators to sell surplus power within their declared generation capacity, even if distribution companies do not requisition it.

Despite these provisions, the Ministry of Power has received feedback from power utilities highlighting certain restrictions in existing agreements. For instance, Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs) and agreements under SHAKTI B (ii) for independent power producers restrict linkage coal solely for fulfilling long-term power purchase agreement obligations with distribution companies.

In response to these concerns, the Ministry of Power clarified that generating companies, including those with long-term coal linkages under FSAs, can offer surplus power in the market.

This clarification, under the provisions of the Tariff Policy of 2016 and the Electricity (Late Payment Surcharge and Related Matters) Rules, aims to promote a more dynamic and responsive electricity market by utilizing power generation capacity efficiently.

By allowing power generators to sell surplus power, the government aims to minimize wastage of resources.

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NTPC Renewable Energy has invited bids to supply the balance of system (BoS) package for 1.1 GW inter-state transmission system (ISTS)-connected wind power projects in Bijapur, Karnataka (Tranche II).

The scope of work includes design, engineering, micro-siting, manufacturing, supply, erection, testing, commissioning, and proving the guaranteed performance parameters to install 3 MW and above wind projects starting from 33 kV internal evacuation lines from unit substation until the ISTS substation.

Bidders must procure land for the project and develop infrastructure, such as roads and substations.

They must also provide comprehensive operation and maintenance of the entire system for three years, including substations and transmission systems, spare parts supply, and payment of applicable charges.

The last date to submit the bids is May 27, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The cost of bidding documents is ₹22,500 (~$270). Additionally, all bids must be supported by a bid security declaration.

The bidder should be either a developer or designed, supplied, erected/supervised erection, and commissioned/supervised commissioning of the balance of the system of solar-based grid-connected power projects with a cumulative installed capacity of 40 MW or higher.

Among these, at least one project should have a capacity of 10 MW or higher. The reference project of 10 MW or higher capacity must have been in successful operation for at least six months before the bid opening date.

Alternatively, bidders should have executed an industrial project in the last ten years as either a developer or an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor in the power, steel, oil, gas, petrochemical, fertilizer, cement, coal mining, or any other process industry.

The financial value of the projects should be as under:

Bidders should have executed at least one electrical substation with a 33 kV or higher voltage level, including equipment like 33 kV or above voltage level circuit breakers and power transformers, either as developers or EPC contractors.

The average annual turnover of the bidders for any three financial years out of the preceding five financial years, as of the bid opening date, should not be less than the specified financial figure below:

Bidders should have a positive net worth on the last day of the preceding financial year.

Recently, NTPC Renewable Energy invited bids for the BoS package of a 500 MW state transmission utility-connected solar power project in Bhadla, Rajasthan.

NTPC Renewable Energy also invited bids for the land and power evacuation package to set up a 150 MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power project in Bhadla, Rajasthan.

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The Ministry of Heavy Industries’ (MHI) tender to select manufacturers for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC) under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program has garnered bids seven times more than the 10 GWh capacity to be awarded.

The bidders are ACME Cleantech Solutions, Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies, Anvi Power Industries (Gensol Group), JSW Neo Energy, Reliance Industries, Lucas TVS, and Waaree Energies for a cumulative capacity of 70 GWh.

The ministry issued the tender in January this year following MHI’s announcement that it would re-issue the tender for the unallocated 20 GWh capacity under the ‘National Program on ACC Battery Storage.’

The budget for the capacity tendered is ₹36.2 billion (~$435.63 million).

In 2021, the government approved the technology-agnostic PLI program to implement 50 GWh of ACC manufacturing with an outlay of ₹181 billion (~$2.18 billion).

The initial bidding for the ACC Energy Storage PLI Program concluded in March 2022, with Ola Electric Mobility, Hyundai Global Motors, Reliance New Energy, and Rajesh Exports securing bids to set up 50 GWh capacity. However, Hyundai Global Motors withdrew from bidding, leaving behind an unallocated capacity of 20 GWh.

Once selected, bidders must commit to setting up an ACC manufacturing facility with value addition of a minimum of 25% within two years and a minimum of 60% value addition within five years.

They must also establish a manufacturing capacity of 5 to 10 GWh within five years. Based on their technical score, the bidders will be ranked from the highest to the lowest.

The subsidy disbursement will commence only after the committed capacity and value addition levels are achieved and the sale of the ACC begins.

The disbursement will be phased over a five-year window, payable quarterly, per the program agreement signed between the government and the selected bidder.

Bidders who had participated in the previous tender issued in 2021 were also eligible to participate in this tender, provided that the maximum capacity that may be allocated to such bidders, including the capacity allocated previously, does not exceed 20 GWh.

SJVN Green Energy (SGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN, has rolled out a tender for the supply and installation of Balance of System (BoS) packages, including power evacuation infrastructure and comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) services for three years for 400 MW of solar photovoltaic power projects across four locations in Maharashtra.

The last date to submit bids is May 14, 2024. Bids will be opened on the same day.

The 400 MW solar capacity encompasses four separate projects – a 160 MW project in Dhanora village of Hingoli district, an 80 MW project in Jambheore village of Jalgaon district, and two 80 MW projects in Khandali village of Latur district.

SGEL has already signed long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to sell power from these projects.

The successful bidder will be responsible for land development, design, procurement, erection, testing, supply, installation, civil and electrical works, statutory approvals, commissioning, and performance testing on a turnkey basis.

However, SGEL will provide the solar PV modules as “free issue material” to the contractor, who will handle the loading, transportation, unloading, and storage of the modules.

An earnest money deposit of ₹63.7 million (~$764,000) must be submitted for the 160 MW project and ₹31.8 million (~$381,000) each for the 80 MW projects.

Bidders must have experience developing grid-connected solar projects, with at least one project of 10 MW or higher capacity successfully operating for over three months.

Alternatively, they can cite the experience of executing large industrial projects in sectors such as power steel, oil, and gas, petrochemical, fertilizer, cement, and coal mining, including coal handling plant or any other process worth at least ₹960 million (~$11.5 million) for the 160 MW project, and ₹480 million (~$5.8 million) for the 80 MW projects.

Meanwhile, the financial criteria mandate is an annual average turnover of at least ₹960 million (~$11.5 million) for the 160 MW project and ₹480 million (~$5.8 million) for the 80 MW projects.

The net worth must be positive during the financial year (FY) 2022-23 and should also be positive in two of the three previous years.

The successful contractor will have 370 days to complete the work after the contract is awarded.

Recently, SGEL formed a joint venture with Assam Power Distribution Company to execute and develop energy projects and parks.

Previously, it invited bids to commission a 100 MW solar power project in the Didwana-Kuchaman District of Rajasthan and its O&M for three years.

Subscribe to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker to stay on top of tender activity in real time.

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids for the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, commissioning, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of a 25 MW solar power project with a 20 MW/50 MWh battery energy storage system at Taru, Leh, UT of Ladakh, India.

The last date for the submission of bids is May 13, 2025. Bids will be opened on the same day.

Bidders must pay ₹29,500 (~$355) as a tender processing fee.

Bidders must pay an earnest deposit of ₹74.1 million (~$888,610).

Bidders are encouraged to visit the proposed site to assess the current conditions and review the plans/drawings related to the specified scope of work, including the power evacuation system and capacities for ground-mounted projects.

SECI  intends to finance the package through domestic funding and own resources.

Only modules from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Approved List for Models and Manufacturers must be used for the project.

For Crystalline Silicon Technology, the entire process, from making wafers to assembling solar cells into modules, must be carried out at the facilities of PV Manufacturers in India, including all steps and quality checks.

Bidders may choose to qualify through one of the following routes. Technical eligibility criteria will be deemed fulfilled if the bidder meets the requirements of Route I or Route II.

For the first route, bidders should have experience in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) or as a developer executing ground-mounted solar projects on a turnkey basis. This includes design, supply (modules/inverters may be included or excluded from the bidder’s scope in past experiences), installation, and commissioning of grid-connected solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of at least 12.5 MW over the past seven financial years, as of the bid submission deadline.

Additionally, these solar power projects must have been operating satisfactorily for at least six months before the bid submission deadline.

Under Route II, bidders should have experience in the EPC execution or developing ground-mounted solar projects on a turnkey basis, including design, supply (modules/inverters may be included or excluded from the bidder’s scope in past experiences), installation, and commissioning of at least two grid-connected solar power projects, each with an individual capacity of 2.5 MW or more, over the past seven financial years, as of the bid submission deadline.

These projects must have been operating satisfactorily for at least six months before the bid submission deadline.

Bidders must provide a list of projects commissioned at least six months before the bid submission deadline, specifying if the project is grid-connected, along with scanned copies of the Commissioning certificate and relevant contractual documents from the Client (or Owner) to support the criteria mentioned above.

They must demonstrate a minimum average annual turnover of ₹1.48 billion (~$17.7 million) over the last three financial years (FY 2020-21, 2021-22 & 2022-23).

Bidder should possess a minimum working capital of ₹620 million (~$7.4 million).

Recently, SECI invited bids to set up a 300 MW ground-mounted solar project at Ramagiri in Andhra Pradesh.

Subscribe to Mercom’s India Solar Tender Tracker to stay on top of tender activity in real time.

Maxeon Solar Technologies, a Singapore-based solar solutions provider, has filed infringement claims against Canadian Solar, REC Solar, and Hanwha for violating three patents relating to the TOPCon (tunnel oxide passivated contact) technology it holds.

It has alleged that the three companies were manufacturing, importing, and selling N-type solar panels using TOPCon cells.

In lawsuits filed in the federal district court in Texas, Maxeon has sought damages from the three companies and injunctions to stop making or selling N-type panels using TOPCon cells.

“Intellectual property infringement sits alongside injurious dumping and subsidy-driven excess global production capacity as an unfair trade practice that distorts markets and tilts what should be a level playing field for global solar manufacturing,” said Marc Robinson, Maxeon’s Associate General Counsel.

According to Norton Rose Fulbright, lawsuits are not expected to affect the solar projects that use or have received the panels. “However, the lawsuits could create near-term market turmoil by making it more expensive for panel manufacturers to supply n-type panels with TOPCon cells and drive up prices for such panels. Aggrieved patent holders sometimes also ask the International Trade Commission to block imports of infringing products.”

Maxeon has a global portfolio of over 1,650 granted patents and over 330 pending patent applications protecting the innovations underpinning its IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact), Shingled Hypercell, and TOPCon technologies.

In India, solar module manufacturers have been leaning towards the latest TOPCon module technology over its other mainstream rival, HJT (Heterojunction).

Last August, Maxeon Solar announced that a 3 GW TOPCon photovoltaic-silicon cell and shingled-cell performance line solar module manufacturing facility would be established in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The facility was expected to serve the utility-scale power project sector and the distributed generation rooftop solar applications.

The solar sector secured $8.1 billion in corporate funding through 41 transactions in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, marking a 4% decrease from the $8.4 billion raised in 42 deals during the same period in 2023. However, there was a 47% increase in funding compared to Q4 2023, which saw $5.5 billion raised in 37 deals. The numbers were revealed in Mercom Capital Group’s newly released Q1 2024 Solar Funding and M&A Report.

Telangana-based solar cell and module manufacturer Premier Energies has filed the draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to raise over ₹15 billion (~$179.91 million) through an initial public offering (IPO). The IPO would consist of a fresh issue of equity shares with a face value of ₹1 (~$0.012) aggregating up to ₹15 billion (~$179.91 million) and an offer for sale of up to 28.2 million shares by the selling shareholders.

Swelect Energy Systems, Grew Energy, and ReNew Photovoltaics (ReNew) were declared winners in Solar Energy Corporation of India’s auction to manufacture, test, package, forward, supply, and transport 400 MW domestically manufactured solar modules. Swelect was awarded 100 MW capacity, Grew Energy won 200 MW, and ReNew won 100 MW at an evaluated bid value of ₹ 22.66 (~$0.272)/Wp. The per MWp evaluated value for all the bidders was ₹22.66 million (~$271,597).

Government-owned lender Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency has reported a 45.9 % year-over-year (YoY) increase in profit after tax for the fourth quarter (Q4) of the financial year (FY) 2024 to ₹373.76 million (~$4.4 million) from ₹256.16 million (~$3.07 million). The profit growth was primarily driven by the consistent growth in the company’s loan book and a significant reduction in its net non-performing assets.IREDA’s total income in Q4 was recorded at ₹13.92 billion (~$166.9 million), a 34.3% YoY increase from ₹10.36 billion (~$124.2 million).

BluWheelz, a tech-enabled logistics firm with an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, received $1 million in a bridge funding round led by Venture Catalysts, an integrated incubator. The other participants in the investment round included FAAD, LetsVenture, and Chakra Growth Fund. The company expects to utilize the funds to expand its EV-fleet offerings for logistics across India. Operating in 18 cities and providing logistic companies with fleet management services, including 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers, BluWheelz plans to integrate 6-wheelers, pioneering EV fleet as a service in India.

Amara Raja Infra (ARIPL) has secured the balance of system (BoS) supply contract for a 500 MW solar power project in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district from renewable energy company Greenko. The project, spanning over 2,200 acres near Uyyalavada town, would be ARIPL’s largest contracted solar capacity project to date. The scope of work involves engineering, procurement, and construction of the entire BoS for the 500 MW solar project, which comes under Greenko’s integrated solar, wind, and pumped storage project.

The engineering, procurement, and construction arm of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy, reported a net profit of ₹10 million (~$120,000) in the fourth quarter (Q4) of the financial year (FY) 2024. The company turned positive after nearly 12 quarters, boosted by strong performance in domestic EPC operations. It had reported a net loss of ₹4.21 billion ($54.9 million) in Q4 of FY 2023. The company’s revenue from operations surged more than 12-fold to ₹11.78 billion (~$154 million) in the quarter, from ₹880 million (~$11.5 million) last year.

The pace of global transition to low-carbon technologies could be adversely impacted with the ‘zero era’ for interest rates ending, a Wood Mackenzie report has said. Higher interest-rate scenarios have increased the cost of capital and raised the cost and pace of the transition to net zero, which will likely require $75 trillion in investments by 2050. The report recommends that policymakers should focus on efficient subsidies (targeted and non-discriminatory) that can minimize nationalistic subsidy battles that are counterproductive to global emissions targets.

India’s solar exports success story could run into trouble if the U.S. entertains petitions from domestic manufacturers to impose anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on module imports. While the four Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia are more likely the focus for the AD/CVD petitions from U.S. manufacturers, there is a possibility that Indian exports could also be covered, according to investment banking firm ROTH Capital Partners.