NTPC REL Floats Tender For Land And Power Evacuation For 550 MW Solar Project And BESS Project Near Shimboo Ka Burj In Rajasthan

NTPC Renewable Energy Limited (NTPC REL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Green Energy Limited, has issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for the Land and Power Evacuation Package related to the development of 550 MW ISTS-connected Solar PV Projects with Battery Energy Storage near the 550 MW Shimboo ka Burj Solar Project in Rajasthan. The bidding process will be conducted through domestic competitive bidding on a single-stage, two-envelope basis—Envelope-I for the techno-commercial bid and Envelope-II for the price bid.

The scope of work under this tender includes the arrangement of government or private land (5 acres per MW) on a freehold or leasehold basis. The lease period will be for a minimum of 29 years and 11 months, with government land limited to a maximum of 10% of the total land. Additional work includes providing approach roads to the pooling substation, topographical surveys, geotechnical investigations, and fencing of land parcels. Lease management responsibilities such as payments to landowners are also included in the bidder’s scope.

In addition to land-related tasks, the contractor will handle power evacuation works. These include the design, engineering, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of 400 kV AIS pooling substations with tie transformers, 33 kV pooling switchgear, civil works, EHV transmission lines, terminal bays at NGEL’s 400 kV switchyard, telemetry systems, installation of plant controllers, and grid compliance studies. The contractor will also be responsible for the O&M of the pooling substation, associated equipment, and the EHV transmission lines for three years from the date of commissioning.

The detailed specifications and terms are provided in the bidding document NRE-CS-5823-004(L)-9. NTPC REL plans to finance this project through its resources or borrowings. The bidding documents are available for download from 25th March 2025 to 8th April 2025 until 5:00 PM IST. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for 11th April 2025, and the last date for receipt of queries from prospective bidders is also 11th April 2025.

Bids, including both the techno-commercial and price bids, must be submitted by 25th April 2025 by 3:00 PM IST. The techno-commercial bids will be opened on the same day at 3:30 PM IST. The cost of bidding documents is INR 22,500, inclusive of taxes.

Instead of an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), bidders are required to submit a “Bid Security Declaration” as stipulated in the bidding documents. This declaration must be submitted in a separate sealed envelope. Any bid not accompanied by an acceptable Bid Security Declaration will be rejected.

The bidders are required to meet strict technical and financial criteria. Technically, they should have previously arranged land for renewable energy projects of a cumulative capacity of 100 MW or higher, with at least one project of 50 MW or more. Alternatively, they can qualify if they have executed an industrial project worth ₹42 crore or more and have experience in electrical sub-station projects of 33 kV or higher. Financially, bidders must have an average annual turnover of ₹42 crore during the last three financial years and a positive net worth as of the last day of the preceding financial year.

NTPC REL reserves the right to reject any or all bids without assigning reasons and emphasizes that only Class-I local suppliers are eligible to participate.