CERC Adopts Tariff for SECI's 420 MW Round-the-Clock Renewable Energy Projects

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has adopted the tariff for 420 MW of round-the-clock (RTC) renewable energy power projects with energy storage systems under the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited's (SECI) RTC-IV tender.

In an order dated November 22, 2025, the three-member CERC bench approved the tariff discovered through a transparent competitive bidding process conducted under Section 63 of the Electricity Act, 2003. 

The projects were awarded to four developers at tariffs ranging from INR 5.06 to INR 5.07 per kWh, representing what SECI described as the first-of-its-kind RTC renewable energy tender with stringent performance criteria.​

Successful Bidders and Capacity Allocation

Following an electronic reverse auction conducted on May 26, 2025, SECI awarded a total of 420 MW capacity to four successful bidders out of an original tender floated for 1,200 MW. 

Hero Solar Energy Private Limited secured the largest allocation of 120 MW at a tariff of INR 5.06/kWh, while Hexa Climate Solutions Private Limited won 100 MW at the same rate. Jindal India Power Limited was awarded 150 MW at INR 5.07/kWh, and Sembcorp Green Infra Private Limited received 50 MW, also at INR 5.07/kWh.​

The tender attracted five bidders offering an aggregate capacity of 540 MW, all of whom met the techno-commercial criteria and qualified for the financial bid opening. 

The competitive bidding process, conducted through the ISN Electronic Tender System (ISN ETS) e-bidding portal, followed the Guidelines for Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding Process for Procurement of Firm and Dispatchable Power from Grid Connected Renewable Energy Power Projects with Energy Storage Systems, dated June 9, 2023, issued by the Ministry of Power.​

Project Configuration and Requirements

The awarded projects will combine solar, wind, and battery energy storage systems to deliver firm, round-the-clock power. For instance, Hero Solar Energy's 120 MW project will comprise 175 MW of solar capacity, 160 MW of wind capacity, and 75 MW/300 MWh of energy storage systems (ESS), with interconnection at the 220 kV level at the Lakadia-II CTU substation.​

Energy storage systems are mandatory for all projects, and the ESS must be charged exclusively using renewable energy sources to qualify as RE power. Developers have the flexibility to own the ESS or tie up with third parties for power supply. The PPAs are valid for 25 years from the Scheduled Commencement of Supply Date (SCSD).​

The CERC order noted that the discovered tariff was deemed reasonable by SECI's Bid Evaluation Committee despite being higher than recent comparable tenders. The committee compared the RTC-IV tariff with the SJVN FDRE-3 tender issued in February 2025, which yielded tariffs ranging from INR 4.82/kWh to INR 4.91/kWh. 

However, the committee emphasized that the SECI RTC-IV tender imposed more stringent performance and dispatchability criteria, justifying the marginally higher tariff.​

The Bid Evaluation Committee stated that "the tariff was to be viewed not merely as an energy cost, but as the price of firm renewable capacity and reliability," justifying the discovered tariff range of INR 5.06-5.07/kWh. 

Bidding Process Timeline

The competitive bidding process began with SECI issuing the Request for Selection (RfS) on October 28, 2024. Following a pre-bid meeting on November 14, 2024, and nine corrigenda and two amendments to the RfS documents between October 2024 and March 2025, the last date for bid submission was March 24, 2025.

Techno-commercial bids were opened on March 27, 2025, and financial bids on May 26, 2025, with the e-reverse auction conducted on the same day. Letters of Award (LoAs) were issued to successful bidders on June 11, 2025.​