Construction Industry News
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has revised guidelines for a tariff-based competitive bidding process for the purchase of power from grid-connected hybrid solar wind projects.
The guideline has been revised to include intermediary purchaser as an alternative term for purchaser. In the latest version, the term purchaser referred to as distribution licensee or their authorized representative.
Under the new guidelines, during the bidding process, in cases where the distribution license holder approves a separate agency to conduct the tender or bidding process on its behalf, the competent agency would be responsible for fulfilling all obligations imposed on the purchaser.
The scheduled commissioning date (SCD) for the hybrid projects has been moved to 24 months from the execution date of the power purchase agreement (PPA) or Power Sale Agreement (PSA), whichever is later.
The extension of the project is seen by some industry players as a relief for hybrid developers who are struggling to find wind turbines and are seeing costs rise. Others point to the increased interest during construction (IDC) due to the six-month delay in the commissioning of the projects.
The increase in IDC could have an impact on project costs, which, if not covered by the developers, could be added to the output rate. To set up hybrid projects, as opposed to pure solar or wind projects, developers need to find a place with maximum insolation and wind flows in the same region. Extending the project timeframe may give developers more time to choose the best location for hybrid projects.
