Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has received 68 bids with a cumulative capacity of 2,170 MW for the allocation under Batch 1 of Phase II of the National Solar Mission (NSM).
The bids, from 58 developers, cover 122 projects. Of this, 36 projects with a capacity of 700 MW were opted to bid under the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) part of the bidding process and the remaining 86 projects with a capacity of 1,470 MW opted for the open bids. Each part will eventually be allocated an equal 375 MW.
Prominent bidders include Azure Power (200 MW), ACME (200 MW), Welspun (160 MW), IL&FS (150 MW), SunEdison (150 MW), ReNew Power (100 MW) and Essel Infra Projects (100 MW). Each developer can only be allocated a maximum capacity of 100 MW.
Prominent companies that have opted for the DCR part of the bids are TATA Power, Waaree, Moser Baer, SolaireDirect, SunEdison, ACME, Azure, IL&FS and Welspun. State owned power companies from Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal have also bid for projects.
With the DCR part of the bid being oversubscribed twice over and the non-DCR (open) part four times over, it is likely that the entire capacity of 750 MW will be converted into Letters of Interest (LoIs) by 10th March 2014. The results of the financial bid are to be announced by 20th February 2014.
SECI is expected to announce the second round of bidding for 1,000 MW under phase II by May 2014.