SECI’s 1GW wind power tender gets high interest

In what may help reduce wind energy tariffs in the country, the 1 gigawatt (GW) tender floated by state-run Solar Energy Corp. of India (SECI) has received 2.6 times the quantum of bids offered for the grid linked capacity. Experts say this may potentially bring down wind energy tariffs which currently ranges from Rs3.9 per unit to Rs5.9 per unit. “The industry is eagerly awaiting the outcome,” said a wind energy developer participating in the auction process, requesting anonymity. Bids totaling 2,600 MW have been received from 13 companies including Adani Power, Hero Future Energies Pvt. Ltd, Renew Power and Inox Wind for the two-stage process—technical and financial. Those qualifying the technical bid stage will be eligible for the financial bid stage. Once, the financial bids are opened, a reverse bid auction process will be run to select the developers. The last date for the bid submission was 9 January. “2,600 MW is the maximum bids received. The final award can be less than that. Financial bids are yet to be opened,” said Ashvini Kumar, managing director, SECI, declining to identify the companies who have taken part in the bidding process. In India, which is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter after the US and China, renewable energy currently accounts for 15%, or 45,917 MW, of the total installed capacity of 3,10,005 MW. Of this wind energy projects alone account for 28,083 MW, placing it at fourth position after China, the US and Germany. “In the long run, the price difference between wind and solar will go. Now whether that happens in this tender or the next one (remains to be seen); they (wind and solar) will be competitive,” Kumar said while adding that the final tender will be awarded within the next two to three weeks.