MNRE Issues Guidelines for Wind Power Procurement from 2.5 GW ISTS Projects

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued guidelines for implementation of ‘scheme for a tariff-based competitive bidding process for procurement of renewable energy power from 2500 MW ISTS connected blended wind power projects’.

The government has implemented the scheme for procurement of power at a tariff discovered via a transparent process of bidding via Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI).

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The objective of the scheme is to provide a framework for procurement of electricity from 2500 MW ISTS grid-connected wind power projects with up to 20 per cent blending with solar photovoltaic (PV) power through a transparent bidding process.

As per the scheme, the total capacity fixed to be awarded is 2500 MW, and the individual minimum size of the project allowed under the scheme is 50 MW at one site and a single bidder cannot bid for less than 50 MW.

Moreover, the rated power capacity of wind power project shall be at least 80 per cent of the total contracted capacity, said the government.

Under the scheme, the nodal agency for implementation of the scheme will be SECI, and the selection of the blended wind power projects will be via a transparent e-bidding process followed by the e-reverse auction.

Besides, solar and wind power projects may be located at the same or different nearby locations. However, the individual wind and solar component constituting the blended wind power project will inject power into the grid via a single point.

While the blended wind power project developer would be free to install wind turbines and DC solar PV capacity as per its design of required output including its requirement of auxiliary consumption, it will not be allowed to sell any excess power to any other entity other than SECI, unless refused by SECI.

According to MNRE, the power procured from the project may be used for the fulfilment of solar RPO and non-solar RPO in the proportion of rated capacity of solar and wind power in the plant respectively.

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Recently, the government has also issued guidelines for the installation of innovative standalone solar pumps. The move came after the Minister had received representations from innovators claiming that by using different design and software, better performance of solar pumps can be achieved as compared to specified by the Ministry and that too in a cost-effective manner.