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Uttar Pradesh Solar Power

Indian State Asks Solar Developers To Voluntarily Reduce Tariffs Two Years After Auction

written by saurabh

15 project developers on the verge of commissioning their utility-scale solar power projects in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh recently received a shock when the state’s regulator asked them to reduce the tariff for their projects.

Competitive auctions held in 2015 in Uttar Pradesh saw utility-scale solar power projects allocated to 15 developers in a tariff range of ₹8.60/kWh (13¢/kWh) and ₹7.02/kWh (11¢/kWh). All these projects are now nearing completion and 14 of the 15 developers have been asked to match the lowest bid of ₹7.02/kWh. This means a reduction of up to 18% for the highest successful bidder.

It is a near-standard practice to ask bidders to match the lowest received bid but this usually happens immediately after the auction is complete and not a couple of years later when the project developers have made all investments and are ready to feed the grid. The state of Tamil Nadu recently implemented this practice for its 1.5 gigawatts solar auction. Most of the project developers agreed to match the lowest bid without any issues.

Most auctions in India do not see a large band of bids, especially winning bids. However, Uttar Pradesh cannot be compared with states like Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat or Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh is not among the pioneering states in solar power development and thus lacks infrastructure and regulatory support that is available to developers in Rajasthan or Gujarat.

The recent auction in Rajasthan, for example, saw immense competition among developers who quoted India’s lowest-ever tariff of ₹2.44/kWh (3.8¢/kWh). This was possible because land for project had already been assigned and acquired, because transmission infrastructure for the project was already available and being park of a solar park, the project developer had access to other support infrastructure that would be needed to set up the project.

None of these conditions were available in Uttar Pradesh at the time of the auction. Additionally, the power purchase agreements signed in Uttar Pradesh are for only 12 years compared the country-wide standard of 25 years.

The timing of this decision by the regulator has jeopardised the investment of project developers. As they near commissioning date they may have limited choice between accepting the decision or challenging it in a tiring court case.



July 31, 2017 0 comment
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Indian State Of Uttar Pradesh Plans 750 Megawatts Of Solar Power Project

Indian State Of Uttar Pradesh Plans 750 Megawatts Of Solar Power Project

written by saurabh

The unprecedented success of Rewa and Bhadla solar power auctions has promoted several Indian states to undertake similar auctions.

Now, Uttar Pradesh is planning to acquire 750 megawatts solar power from a project located within the Bhadla solar power park in neighbouring state of Rajasthan.

Officials of the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation, the Solar Energy Corporation of India and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy will soon chalk out the terms of auction.

The power generated at Bhadla solar power park will be transmitted to power utilities in Uttar Pradesh at no additional charges as the MNRE has exempted solar and wind energy projects from inter-state transmission and wheeling charges.

This off-site model of solar power procurement has been in practice for a while now. The state of Haryana had auctioned projects that would be installed in Rajasthan. Better solar radiation, availability of barren land and existing transmission infrastructure makes Rajasthan an apt location to set up large-scale solar power projects.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation signed agreement to procure electricity generated at Rewa solar power park in Madhya, nearly 800 kilometres away. A Delhi-based utility also signed an agreement with SunEdison to procure electricity from a 180 megawatts solar power project that was supposed to come up in Madhya Pradesh.

The Indian government’s project of Green Energy Corridors promotes such off-site project development. It encourages states deficient in renewable energy resources to procure electricity through dedicated transmission lines.



May 27, 2017 0 comment
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