SECI Invites Bids For 800 Acres Of Land To Develop 200 MW Solar Project In Madhya Pradesh

Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has issued a tender inviting bids from eligible agencies, firms, and bidders for the outright purchase or lease of 800 acres of land for the development of a 200 MW Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) project in Madhya Pradesh. SECI plans to develop a 200 MW (AC) Solar PV project in the state with connectivity to the State Transmission Utility (STU) network. The project requires a minimum of 800 acres of land, which can be obtained either through purchase or lease for a period of 30 years.

Bidders are required to submit their Techno-Commercial and Price Bids in separate sealed covers by the 23rd of September, 2024. The bids must be clearly marked with the project details. The successful bidder will be responsible for several key tasks, including the outright purchase or lease of the land, construction of a chain-link fence along the land boundary, and the installation of a main entry gate. Additionally, the bidder must identify a suitable STU substation for power evacuation and obtain connectivity for the project.

The land offered by the bidder must meet several specific criteria. It should be free from any legal issues, encumbrances, or restrictions from the government for solar project development. The land should have clear title and be contiguous, although multiple parcels within a five-kilometer radius are acceptable if they total at least 800 acres. Each individual parcel must be at least 200 acres in size. The land should also have a Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI) of not less than 1,900 kWh/m², as per Solargis data.

The bidder is responsible for ensuring that the land has an identified motorable approach and is free from any claims or ownership disputes. Additionally, the land should not be subject to acquisition for any other purpose, and tribal land will only be accepted if approved by designated government agencies. The bidder must also provide documentation such as a legible land map with individual survey numbers and a kmz file indicating the boundaries and road layout to the nearest state or national highway and STU substation.

The selected bidder will need to arrange for all necessary approvals for the purchase or lease of the land and for setting up the solar project. The contractor must identify a 220 kV STU substation, such as one operated by Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company Limited (MPPTCL), which has the available capacity to evacuate 200 MW of solar power. Documentary proof of this capacity must be submitted as part of the bid. SECI will pay the land cost or lease rent directly to the landowners, as well as any related stamp duty and registration charges.

The contractor may request changes to the land parcels under certain circumstances, provided the new land meets the same criteria as the original. However, no additional payment or compensation will be made for such changes. SECI reserves the right to accept or reject the site based on technical suitability and will conduct site visits to assess the land before awarding the contract. If any disqualifying information is discovered, the bidder may be rejected outright and barred from future SECI tenders.