News Synopsis
REMC Limited, a joint venture of the Ministry of Railways and RITES Limited, has invited bids to establish a 17 MW InSTS-connected solar PV project with a 12.5 MW/50 MWh BESS on vacant railway land at Dahod in Gujarat. The project will be developed on a build-own-operate basis to supply solar and storage power for Indian Railways’ traction requirements. Indian Railways, through the relevant zonal railway or division, will sign a 25-year PPA with the selected solar power developer.
The identified site comprises approximately 80 acres near the filter plant in Dahod under Western Railway’s Ratlam division. Annexure K lists a tentative solar potential of 17 MW AC and 20 MWp DC alongside the BESS discharge capacity. The nearest tentative connection point is a GETCO 132/33 kV substation approximately 3 km from the project, while the project coordinates are listed as 22.838035 N and 74.232813 E.
The selected developer will install and own the solar and storage assets, obtain connectivity and approvals, and construct the transmission infrastructure to the delivery point. The developer must also arrange the right of way and associated approvals for the evacuation line. Railway authorities will provide the site on an as-is-where-is basis under a Land Use Permission Agreement, while the developer will be responsible for preparing the land.
The BESS must deliver 2.9412 MWh for every 1 MW of contracted solar capacity during four daily peak hours selected between 18:00 and 24:00. At least one hour of discharge must be continuous, and the buying entity must provide its schedule by 06:00 each day. The developer may use the BESS for other market applications after meeting the PPA supply commitments, but non-compliant third-party sales will attract a penalty equal to 1.5 times the applicable market rate per kWh.
Bidders must submit an offer for the full 17 MW contracted capacity through a single-stage, two-envelope process followed by an e-reverse auction. The document fee is INR 50,000 plus GST, while the bid-processing fee is INR 3,40,000 plus GST. An EMD of INR 16,24,000 per MW is required through a bank guarantee or insurance surety bond. The minimum net-worth requirement is INR 1,62,40,000 per MW, while bidders must also demonstrate the prescribed turnover, PBDITA or liquidity arrangements.