750 MW Rajasthan tender attracts low bids of Rs 2.5/kWh

The tariffs are slightly above Rs2.48/kWh seen in March procurement but still fairly below the levels hit in Maharashtra and Gujarat auctions recently—reaffirming the state’s attractiveness to PV developers.

June 20, 2019 Uma Gupta

In May 2017, a historic low tariff of Rs 2.44 ($0.033) per unit was secured for the 500 MW Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park, in an auction by Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Image: Ecoppia

The latest 750 MW solar auction for Rajasthan saw state-owned power generator NTPC, Mahindra Susten, Hero Future Energies and Azure Power making lowest bids of Rs2.5/kWh each. The four developers bid for a cumulative capacity of 710 MW in the reverse auction conducted by Solar Energy Corporation of India.

Hero Future Energies bid for 250 MW, Mahindra Susten 200 MW, NTPC 160 MW and Azure Power Maple 100 MW at tariffs of Rs2.5/kWh each, reported PTI.

The previous 750 MW solar auction in the state attracted the lowest bid of Rs2.48/kWh from Acme Solar, the developer which equaled the nation’s record low tariff of Rs2.44 in July last year. That benchmark had been set in May 2017, in a SECI auction for capacity at the Bhadla Solar Park.

Rajasthan has an installed solar capacity of approximately 3 GW and a development pipeline of around 1.5 GW. The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has estimated the state has the potential to host 142 GW of solar capacity, the highest level in India.

The low levels of tariffs stem from Rajasthan’s potential for solar power generation. Highest irradiation in the country and easy availability of wasteland make the state the ideal place for setting up solar projects.

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