Punjab calls bids for mega solar power projects

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has invited bids through the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) for setting up of 500-MW capacities mega solar power projects. The bids have been invited through PEDA, giving an opportunity to developers to bid from minimum 50 MW to maximum 150 MW with power purchase agreement for 25 years with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

Stating this on Sunday, Bikram Singh Majithia, new and renewable energy minister, said developers would have an option to put up the allocated capacity at a single location or maximum 10 locations with minimum capacity of 5MW. He added that to facilitate developers, PEDA had carried out an exercise and identified 6,000 acres of land belonging to village panchayats and private land owners, who were willing to give their land on lease for these projects. The successful developers would have an option to tie up with these land owners at terms and conditions to be decided by them with the latter.

Majithia said it had become imperative to set up solar power projects to harness the abundant solar potential in the state where sunshine was available more than 300 days in a year. He added that the state had taken major strides in solar power generation capacity addition from 9 MW in 2012 to 206 MW in 2015.

In Phase-2, 282-MW capacity solar power projects had been allocated and power purchase agreements signed, which comprised of 229-MW ground mount and 53-MW rooftop projects. These projects are scheduled for commissioning by March 2016, he added.

Majithia said Punjab provided one of the best infrastructures in the country with good road connectivity up to the village level, 400KVA grid ring main system, more than 600 66KV sub-stations, each sub-station located within a 10km radius, and 132KV substation located within a 30km radius.