DVC Floats Tender To Build 132KV Solar Pooling Station And 132KV D/C LILO System At Konar In Jharkhand For 228 MW Floating Solar And 100 MW/400 MWh BESS

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has announced a tender for a major renewable energy infrastructure project at Konar. The plan involves the establishment of a 132KV solar pooling station and the construction of a 132KV double circuit line-in-line-out (LILO) system. This new infrastructure will support the evacuation of power from the 228 MW Floating Solar Power Project (FSPV) and the 100 MW/400 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) being developed at Konar. The tender, listed under NIT No. DVC/Tender/Head Quarter/SPE/CMM/Works and Service/00080/Capital, was officially issued on August 20, 2025. The project has been valued at an estimated ₹1,13,16,93,937.20, which includes freight and insurance costs but does not cover GST.

Bidders will have to follow a single-stage, three-envelope process for submission. The first envelope will include documents relating to bid security and the signed Integrity Pact. The second envelope will carry the techno-commercial bid with all supporting qualification documents, while the third will include the price bid. DVC has specified that only “Class-I local suppliers” are allowed to participate in this tender in line with the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, which prioritizes domestic suppliers.

The tender outlines key dates that participants need to follow closely. The documents are available for download between August 20, 2025, and September 18, 2025. An online pre-bid conference is scheduled for September 3, 2025, while the deadline for submission of pre-bid queries is September 6, 2025. The final date for submission of bids, including online upload and offline submission of hard copies of Envelope-1 documents, is September 18, 2025. The first stage of bid opening, for Envelope-1, will take place on September 19, 2025, after 12:30 PM. The date for opening Envelope-3, which contains the price bids, will be announced later by DVC.

Every bidder must submit an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of ₹1,13,16,939.00. The tender document makes it clear that there will be no exemptions from this requirement, even for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). Failure to submit the EMD or the signed Integrity Pact will result in immediate rejection of the bid. The tender also requires the successful bidder to furnish a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG). While the general details provided mention that for joint ventures, a 5% guarantee of the work value applies, the PBG for individual bidders is expected to be a percentage of the overall contract price, ensuring performance security throughout the contract period.

Strict qualification requirements have also been outlined for bidders. On the technical side, bidders must have prior experience with Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substations and Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS) substations. This includes design, supply, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of substations of similar voltage levels. On the financial side, bidders must have a net working capital of at least ₹18,86,15,656.20 and must demonstrate an average annual turnover of no less than ₹75,44,62,624.80, calculated based on the best three years out of the past five.

This tender marks another step in DVC’s efforts to strengthen renewable energy generation and grid integration in India. By combining floating solar with large-scale energy storage, the project at Konar is expected to provide both clean power and a reliable backup supply, contributing to India’s long-term clean energy goals.